eat up

British  

verb

1. (also intr) to eat or consume entirely: often used as an exhortation to children

2. informal to listen to with enthusiasm or appreciation

   the audience ate up the speaker's every word

3. informal (often passive) to affect grossly

   she was eaten up by jealousy

4. informal to travel (a distance) quickly

   we just ate up the miles

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eat up Idioms  

1. Consume completely, as in No television until you eat up your dinner , or This quarter's expenses have eaten up all my spare cash . The literal use (first example) dates from the early 1500s, the figurative from the early 1600s.

2. Enjoy avidly, as in She simply eats up the publicity . [Late 1800s]

3. Believe unquestioningly, be gullible, as in He'll eat up whatever the broker tells him . [ Slang ; early 1900s]

4. Defeat completely, as in This new fighter just eats up every opponent . [ Slang ; c. 1830]

5. See eat out , def. 2.

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

eat up

In some regions, insurance costs eat up an even bigger chunk of budgets.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 9, 2026

The logical thought: The Dodgers had found a healthy arm to eat up some innings until they could find someone better.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 22, 2026

Deadline's Pete Hammond said the film "falls short of giving any new insights", but said Jaafar Jackson "dazzles" in a film that fans would "eat up".

From BBC ● Apr. 21, 2026

A newly minted dentist earns around $150,000 or more, but student loans eat up a lot of their take-home pay, especially in the early years.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 26, 2026

A tangible surprise that doesn’t eat up gigs on my phone.

From "Internment" by Samira Ahmed

Related Words

• swallow