- present participle of eat.
eating
Americannoun
-
the act of a person or thing that eats.
-
food with reference to its quality or tastiness when eaten.
This fish is delicious eating.
adjective
-
used in eating.
They brought out plates and eating utensils for dinner.
-
good or fit to eat, especially raw.
A sweet, crisp Gala is the perfect eating apple for a summer salad.
noun
adjective
-
relating to or suitable for eating, esp uncooked
eating pears
-
relating to or for eating
an eating house
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of eating
First recorded in 1125–75; Middle English; eat ( def. ) + -ing 1 ( def. ) for the noun senses; eat ( def. ) + -ing 2 for the adjective senses
Explanation
Eating is the act of consuming food. It would be nice to have lunch in the library instead of the cafeteria — but unfortunately, they don't allow any eating in there. The process of taking food in through your mouth — biting, chewing, tasting, swallowing — is eating. Figuratively, eating can also mean "wasting or destroying," the way rust consumes metal or anxiety gradually destroys a person's mental health. As an adjective, eating means "used for consuming," as in a set of eating utensils, complete with a spoon, fork, and knife. The Germanic etan, "consume or devour," is the root of eating.
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.
Person-to-person spread of pneumonic plague hasn’t been documented in the U.S. since 1924, according to the CDC, but there have been rare cases among people exposed to cats that were sickened by eating infected rodents.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 6, 2026
"Sometimes I remember things that I saw there. It's not easy. You're sitting among people at the table eating and, suddenly, you just have to leave," he said.
From Barron's ● Oct. 5, 2026
A delayed reaction adds to the muddle because most victims don’t get sick until hours after eating, and weeks or months after the tick bite.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 4, 2026
"But it's not as easy as saying, 'Stop eating eggs' or 'Don't eat so much red meat.' Because you need histidine, and it's all over the place."
From Science Daily ● Oct. 3, 2026
It had gotten dark while we were eating.
From "Summer of the Monkeys" by Wilson Rawls
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.
