graze

¹ American  

[greyz] / greɪz /

verb (used without object)

grazed, grazing

1. to feed on growing grass and pasturage, as do cattle, sheep, etc.

2. 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.

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verb (used with object)

grazed, grazing

1. to feed on (growing grass).

2. to put cattle, sheep, etc., to feed on (grass, pastureland, etc.).

3. to tend (cattle, sheep, etc.) while they are at pasture.

graze ² American  

[greyz] / greɪz /

verb (used with object)

grazed, grazing

1. to touch or rub lightly in passing.

2. to scrape the skin from; abrade.

   The bullet just grazed his shoulder.

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verb (used without object)

grazed, grazing

1. to touch or rub something lightly, or so as to produce slight abrasion, in passing.

   to graze against a rough wall.

noun

• grazes
  plural

1. a touching or rubbing lightly in passing.

2. a slight scratch, scrape, or wound made in passing; abrasion.

graze ¹ British  

/ ɡreɪz /

verb

1. to allow (animals) to consume the vegetation on (an area of land), or (of animals, esp cows and sheep) to feed thus

2. (tr) to tend (livestock) while at pasture

3. informal to eat snacks throughout the day rather than formal meals

4. informal to eat

5. informal (intr) to switch between television channels while viewing without watching any channel for long

6. to pilfer and eat sweets, vegetables, etc, from supermarket shelves while shopping

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noun

1. informal a snack; something to eat

graze ² British  

/ ɡreɪz /

verb

1. to brush or scrape (against) gently, esp in passing

2. (tr) to break the skin of (a part of the body) by scraping

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noun

1. the act of grazing

2. a scrape or abrasion made by grazing

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• grazer
  noun
• grazeable
  adjective
• grazingly
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• grazes
  plural

Etymology

Origin of graze¹

First recorded before 1000; Middle English grasen, Old English grasian, derivative of græs grass

Origin of graze²

First recorded in 1350–1400; perhaps special use of graze ¹

Explanation

Cows graze on grass, and people graze on snacks and finger foods. Graze can also mean to scrape, like when you graze your elbow after falling off your bike. Graze means "to feed on grass" as sheep, horses, cows, do in a meadow — they eat a little at a time, but constantly. People sometimes graze too, munching on small snacks all day long instead of having a real meal. It also means “to touch lightly,” like when I pitch a baseball to you — and I accidentally hit your arm. With luck, the ball only grazed you, meaning you aren't hurt at all.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

graze grazes grazed grazing

At the 170-acre vineyard, horses and cows graze in a paddock; their dung is used for fertilizer.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 28, 2026

The trust said it would engage with Beynon to "further understand" the number of horses that could remain as part of the commoner's rights to graze on the land.

From BBC ● Aug. 21, 2026

And in its forests and on its grasslands, tule elk and mule deer graze, while bobcats and coyotes hunt for rabbits and mountain beavers.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 16, 2026

"Because it's a place for people, for picnics, for livestock to graze," he told AFP, giving only his first name for security reasons.

From Barron's ● Aug. 9, 2026

In the fields, gray buffalos and brown cows graze lazily on the grass.

From "First They Killed My Father: A Daughter of Cambodia Remembers" by Loung Ung

Fresh from his latest victory, Nolan reaches for the stars and grazes the Gods.

From Salon ● Jul. 18, 2026

"We've had complaints about it in the past and people obviously raising concerns about cuts and grazes, so it is something we have to factor in," she says.

From BBC ● Aug. 4, 2024

Following a decade living in Portland, Ore., “I just want it to feel like Southern California,” he says as he grazes a palm over a salvia plant, releasing its aroma.

From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 27, 2024

The camera captures her in adoring close-up as it grazes over her eyes, traced with black eyeliner and wet with tears.

From New York Times ● May 11, 2023

“You have minds,” Bastian murmurs one evening in the refectory, each boy hunching almost imperceptibly farther over his food as the commandant’s finger grazes the back of his uniform.

From "All the Light We Cannot See" by Anthony Doerr

Parton began reeling off No. 1 country hits—eight in the next six years—but after “Jolene” grazed the pop charts, she had visions of reaching a wider audience.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 25, 2026

"One of the first things we are doing is getting volunteers to pick up litter. We want to make sure it can be effectively grazed."

From BBC ● Jun. 3, 2026

Unlike before, when I had been rushing to my appointment, I walked a bit more slowly, cherishing the sun as it grazed my skin.

From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 18, 2026

But he was run out in an unlucky manner when a shot from Rana grazed Henry's hand and deflected onto the stumps at the non-striker's end.

From Barron's ● Jan. 28, 2026

Ifemelu could tell, from the longish length, the near-perfect waves that grazed his collar, that he took fastidious care of his hair.

From "Americanah" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

They claim the park needs grazing to keep a lid on invasive species.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 28, 2026

Dairy farmers grazing cows in Point Reyes were paid to leave, but now they want back in.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 28, 2026

Last year it said the number of horses needs to be reduced in line with the grazing limit.

From BBC ● Aug. 21, 2026

In the village of Budry, cows and horses grazing in the rolling fields give little hint of the heavily militarised Kaliningrad exclave next door.

From Barron's ● Aug. 21, 2026

That evening when the cows got back from grazing, we had a lot of milk to drink, so we were well fed.

From "Facing the Lion" by Joseph Lemasolai Lekuton and Herman Viola

Related Words

• ricochet
• rub
• scrape
• scratch
• skim
• skip