eat out

verb

1. (intr, adverb) to eat away from home, esp in a restaurant

Idioms and Phrases

Have a meal outside one's home, usually at a restaurant. For example, We're almost out of groceries, so let's eat out tonight . [Second half of 1900s] For the antonym, see eat in .

eat someone out Also, eat someone up . Rebuke or scold someone sharply, as in He was always eating out the kids , or Why are you eating me up? I haven't done anything wrong . This slangy synonym for chew out probably originated as a euphemism for eat someone's ass out . It dates from the 1940s, the variant from the 1840s. Also see the subsequent entries beginning with eat out .

Example Sentences

Restaurants are facing a challenging year as Americans pull back on eating out.

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“There is more thought behind small decisions like eating out.”

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If you eat out more than you buy groceries, for example, you’ll want cards that give you points at restaurants rather than supermarkets.

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Both Chipotle Mexican Grill and Starbucks reported that consumers are eating out less often and looking for more value because of rising prices.

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“If the homes and the people are not cooking it, and if they’re not even eating out on that cuisine usually, then how can we call it a culture?”

Read more on Salon

Related Words

• castigate 
• chide 
• rebuke 
• reprimand 
• reproach 
• revile 
• scold 
• upbraid