graze

¹ American  

[grayz] / 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  

[grayz] / 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

Some 1,200 sheep are brought in to graze on the crops in between rice harvests, and they leave behind organic matter, which enriches the soil naturally.

From Barron's ● Oct. 12, 2026

Some 1,500 acres of the family’s land is currently used to graze cattle, acreage it hopes to expand by around 100 acres to increase the head of cattle it has while beef prices are high.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 8, 2026

It’s somewhat of an idyllic place where the seashore is lined with wooden houses; sheep graze along the grassy cliffsides and residents wander around the shops in bathrobes and clogs, right after their morning swims.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 21, 2026

Jersey brothers and shepherds Josh and Ben Voak, who work with the project, said it had saved them hours of manual labour and opened up new areas for flocks to graze.

From BBC ● Aug. 28, 2026

And his fingertips graze the nape of my neck, in constant quiet motion.

From "Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda" by Becky Albertalli

“Everyone else died or moved away,” said Mr. Puhalo, gesturing to empty homes scattered across the rocky hills around the family land where he grazes his sheep.

From New York Times ● Feb. 28, 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

If it just grazes the floor, it will look straight and tailored.

From Seattle Times ● Nov. 8, 2023

National Trust Cymru, Gower said the area "is home to a variety of special wildlife and livestock that grazes freely across the common land and meadows".

From BBC ● Sep. 12, 2023

Eventually, with his index finger, he grazes his father’s mustache, an eyebrow, a bit of the hair on his head, those parts of him, he knows, that are still quietly living.

From "The Namesake" by Jhumpa Lahiri

Hawaii is still recovering from the impacts of Hurricane Lala, which grazed the southern part of the Big Island last month, bringing destructive winds and flash floods.

From Barron's ● Sep. 7, 2026

Fields and forests have been left unmanaged, with shrubs and plants growing where livestock once grazed.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 29, 2026

Rodri’s dribbling opened more space for Spain, allowing him to create a shooting opportunity that grazed the post in the 54th minute.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 2, 2026

Cattle are grazed across the marshes to create healthy habitats for birds, insects and plants.

From BBC ● Feb. 9, 2026

I recalled how Ma had styled my hair in that faux bob, how the air had grazed my neck.

From "The Red Car to Hollywood" by Jennie Liu

This remote stretch of the Australian outback is an important grazing area for sheep and cattle, with a landscape typically dominated by hardy plants adapted to limited rainfall.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 12, 2026

The Cotswolds was badly hit by the drought, leaving grazing pastures brown and without any nutrition for the cows.

From BBC ● Oct. 7, 2026

Based on his observations thus far, Spasojevic believes the burros could play an important role in the local ecosystem by grazing on non-native grasses and preventing them from overtaking native plants.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 6, 2026

Forest Service trailhead, and in summer you can see bison grazing near Spanish Creek, along with whitetail deer and occasionally a black bear or moose.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 2, 2026

The next day, as Duane headed out of his cave and down the hill, he spotted the stranger grazing near Handsome.

From "The Very, Very Far North" by Dan Bar-el

Related Words

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