eating

American  

[ee-ting] / ˈi tɪŋ /

noun

1. the act of a person or thing that eats.

2. food with reference to its quality or tastiness when eaten.

   This fish is delicious eating.

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adjective

1. used in eating.

   They brought out plates and eating utensils for dinner.

2. good or fit to eat, especially raw.

   A sweet, crisp Gala is the perfect eating apple for a summer salad.

eating British  

/ ˈiːtɪŋ /

noun

1. food, esp in relation to its quality or taste

   this fruit makes excellent eating

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adjective

1. relating to or suitable for eating, esp uncooked

   eating pears

2. relating to or for eating

   an eating house

Other Word Forms

• uneating adjective

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

Example Sentences

They play a vital role in the ecosystem, eating rodents, such as ground squirrels, that often carry diseases such as hantavirus, plague and Lyme disease.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 1, 2026

AI chips are the most precious commodity at any leading research lab, and at OpenAI, the video-generating app Sora was eating up far too many of them.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 31, 2026

They describe the details of their lives; practising yoga despite the sounds of explosions, eating birthday cake alone and venturing out to near-empty coffee shops.

From BBC • Mar. 31, 2026

It can prohibit doctors “from telling an anorexic patient to eat less” while allowing them to recommend eating more.

From Slate • Mar. 31, 2026

There was no reason her eating habits should take up valuable storage space.

From "Bye Forever, I Guess" by Jodi Meadows

Related Words

• chewing
• consumption
• dining