Showing results for "eating"

• present participle of eat.

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

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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

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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

See Examples For:

eating

Also in Sweden there’s something called fika, which means taking a break, drinking coffee and eating cinnamon buns.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 17, 2026

"They were exploring their new habitat, coming over and participating in sessions, eating and interacting with enrichment. So those were all really positive signs from the get-go, and we've just seen progress since then."

From BBC ● Oct. 17, 2026

And influencers’ claims that intermittent fasting is an “effortless” solution to weight loss are overhyped — most people probably would not consider 16 hours without eating to be “effortless” or easy.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 16, 2026

"I was eating 12 eggs a day, like, 4,000 calories, training a lot," she says.

From BBC ● Oct. 16, 2026

Even while we were eating breakfast, he sat where he could look right in my face.

From "Summer of the Monkeys" by Wilson Rawls

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Related Words

• chewing
• consumption
• dining

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