eat out
Britishverb
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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 .
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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
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
"We used to eat out twice a month," says Marjan, who lives in Iran's second largest city, Isfahan.
From BBC • Feb. 26, 2026
Restaurant chains are challenged as consumers eat out less.
From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 17, 2025
If you eat out more than you buy groceries, for example, you’ll want cards that give you points at restaurants rather than supermarkets.
From MarketWatch • Oct. 31, 2025
What’s Next: Americans are dining out less often and shopping more at grocery and convenience stores—and when they do eat out, they’re focused on value, notes Mizuho analyst Nick Setyan.
From Barron's • Oct. 30, 2025
“Don’t disturb her,” I said, knowing that she was going to tell Mrs. Moss about my wanting to eat out of a can and feeling my heart fill with shame.
From "Black Boy" by Richard Wright
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
