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
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relating to or suitable for eating, esp uncooked
eating pears
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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.
“It was eating and sleeping, hitting, and you know, shower. The essentials.”
From Los Angeles Times • May 24, 2026
Most of the eating establishments that line this stretch of road are hidden behind metal shutters, and a trickle of people and cars pass through.
From BBC • May 22, 2026
Hoping to attract the English nobility, the duke turned his apartments at Somerset House on the Thames into a space for dancing, drinking and eating all night.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 22, 2026
In other words, not only is the dog chasing its own tail, but it appears to be eating it as well.
From Salon • May 22, 2026
There was no reason her eating habits should take up valuable storage space.
From "Bye Forever, I Guess" by Jodi Meadows
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.
