graze

[greyz]

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verb (used without object), grazed, graz·ing.

to 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.

verb (used with object), grazed, graz·ing.

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

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

Related formsgraze·a·ble, adjectivegraz·er, noun

graze

[greyz]

verb (used with object), grazed, graz·ing.

to touch or rub lightly in passing.

to scrape the skin from; abrade: The bullet just grazed his shoulder.

verb (used without object), grazed, graz·ing.

to touch or rub something lightly, or so as to produce slight abrasion, in passing: to graze against a rough wall.

noun

a touching or rubbing lightly in passing.

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

Origin of graze

1595–1605; perhaps special use of graze¹; for the semantic shift compare French effleurer, derivative of fleur flower, in the same meaning

Related formsgraz·er, noungraz·ing·ly, adverb

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for graze

rub, scratch, scrape, ricochet, skim, kiss, skip, browse, nibble, bite, forage, eat, shave, chafe, carom, brush, abrade, crunch, gnaw, masticate

Examples from the Web for graze

Contemporary Examples of graze

Their regional rivals are the nomadic Missiriya tribe, who come down from the north into Abyei so their cattle can graze.
Sudan's New Game-Changer
John Avlon
March 12, 2011

Historical Examples of graze

If he walked slowly, so did the cow, and seized the opportunity to graze.
Tanglewood Tales
Nathaniel Hawthorne
Then the girl took the flax and drove the heifer out to graze.
Cossack Fairy Tales and Folk Tales
Anonymous
So the heifer began to graze, but the girl sat down and began to weep.
Cossack Fairy Tales and Folk Tales
Anonymous
We were traveling with oxen, and it was our custom to let them graze for two hours at noon.
Boy Scouts Handbook
Boy Scouts of America
Beseech me from the grass; Wings frolic in the air, And graze me as they pass.
Enamels and Cameos and other Poems
Thophile Gautier

British Dictionary definitions for graze

graze

verb

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

noun

Southern African informal a snack; something to eat

Word Origin for graze

Old English grasian, from græs grass; related to Old High German grasōn, Dutch grazen, Norwegian grasa

graze

verb

(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

noun

the act of grazing

a scrape or abrasion made by grazing

Derived Formsgrazer, noungrazingly, adverb

Word Origin for graze

C17: probably special use of graze 1; related to Swedish gräsa

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

Word Origin and History for graze

v.1

"to feed," Old English grasian "to feed on grass," from græs "grass" (see grass). Cf. Middle Dutch, Middle High German grasen, Dutch grazen, German grasen. Figurative use by 1570s. Related: Grazed; grazing.

v.2

"to touch," c.1600, perhaps a transferred sense from graze (v.1) via a notion of cropping grass right down to the ground (cf. German grasen "to feed on grass," used in military sense in reference to cannonballs that rebound off the ground). Related: Grazed; grazing. As a noun from 1690s.