graze
1to feed on growing grass and pasturage, as do cattle, sheep, etc.
Informal. to eat small portions of food, as appetizers or the like, in place of a full-sized meal or to snack during the course of the day in place of regular meals.
to feed on (growing grass).
to put cattle, sheep, etc., to feed on (grass, pastureland, etc.).
to tend (cattle, sheep, etc.) while they are at pasture.
Origin of graze
1Other words from graze
- graze·a·ble, adjective
- grazer, noun
Words Nearby graze
Other definitions for graze (2 of 2)
to touch or rub lightly in passing.
to scrape the skin from; abrade: The bullet just grazed his shoulder.
to touch or rub something lightly, or so as to produce slight abrasion, in passing: to graze against a rough wall.
a touching or rubbing lightly in passing.
a slight scratch, scrape, or wound made in passing; abrasion.
Origin of graze
2Other words from graze
- grazer, noun
- graz·ing·ly, adverb
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use graze in a sentence
Ricardou rented the small plot of land surrounding the house back to relatives of the cheesemaking family he purchased the place from so they could continue to graze their Abondance dairy cows there, as they’d done for centuries.
When specialty cheesemaking becomes a quarantine pastime | By Kat Craddock/Saveur | December 1, 2020 | Popular-ScienceThe water will allow his cattle to graze the land in a more intensive way.
Paul Ensor, a fourth-generation rancher, recently spent more than $100,000 to fence off from grazing cattle a “wee stream” of the glacial river that runs along his acreage.
Allbirds is stepping up for the planet—by treading lightly on it | sheilamarikar | September 21, 2020 | FortuneCasana directed aerial sweeps over grazing land at the cattle ranch, where ancient structures had likely suffered minimal damage.
Drones find signs of a Native American ‘Great Settlement’ beneath a Kansas pasture | Bruce Bower | September 10, 2020 | Science NewsWith more otters and thus fewer kelp-grazing urchins, kelp forests can thrive, storing carbon and sheltering salmon, ling cod and other fishes.
Bringing sea otters back to the Pacific coast pays off, but not for everyone | Jonathan Lambert | June 11, 2020 | Science News
Low-hanging clouds nestle among the layers of mountains; horses and cows graze in the middle distance.
One of the officers suffered a minor graze wound to his head.
L.A.'s Rogue Ex-Cop Posted Crazed Facebook Manifesto | Christine Pelisek | February 7, 2013 | THE DAILY BEASTTheir regional rivals are the nomadic Missiriya tribe, who come down from the north into Abyei so their cattle can graze.
Many of us had been hit by the balls, but a bruise or a graze of the skin was the worst consequence that had ensued.
"I call you," the policeman said, and stripping the saddle and bridle from his sweaty horse, turned him loose to graze.
Raw Gold | Bertrand W. SinclairAfter lunch the girls strolled around a bit, leaving their mounts to graze lazily.
The Outdoor Girls in the Saddle | Laura Lee HopeThen hit blows the snow off en around, en stock can graze thar until near Christmas.
David Lannarck, Midget | George S. HarneySome of the animals suffered so with thirst that they could not graze, and uttered doleful whinneys of distress.
Overland | John William De Forest
British Dictionary definitions for graze (1 of 2)
/ (ɡreɪz) /
to allow (animals) to consume the vegetation on (an area of land), or (of animals, esp cows and sheep) to feed thus
(tr) to tend (livestock) while at pasture
informal to eat snacks throughout the day rather than formal meals
Southern African informal to eat
(intr) informal to switch between television channels while viewing without watching any channel for long
US to pilfer and eat sweets, vegetables, etc, from supermarket shelves while shopping
Southern African informal a snack; something to eat
Origin of graze
1British Dictionary definitions for graze (2 of 2)
/ (ɡreɪz) /
(when intr, often foll by against or along) to brush or scrape (against) gently, esp in passing
(tr) to break the skin of (a part of the body) by scraping
the act of grazing
a scrape or abrasion made by grazing
Origin of graze
2Derived forms of graze
- grazer, noun
- grazingly, adverb
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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