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

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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

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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

About 80 cows and bulls now graze on Wente’s land.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 8, 2026

Ronnie Eunson runs Uradale Farm on the west side of the islands and breeds native sheep and cattle which graze on the nearby hills and coastline.

From BBC ● Oct. 1, 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

A flash of lightning: Snarler stretched itself, bleated, and began to graze.

From "Norse Mythology" by Neil Gaiman

Affected dogs often develop ulcers or sores, usually on the bottom part of their legs and stomach, or occasionally in the mouth, which can look like bites, grazes, wounds or stings.

From BBC ● Apr. 14, 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

We also see her wielding a sledgehammer, which she sometimes grazes against the wall or licks like a lollipop.

From Salon ● Sep. 10, 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

The scientists could also examine how the outcome changed depending on whether the oxygen nuclei collided directly or merely grazed one another.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 31, 2026

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

The ball grazed his glove before bouncing squarely on his noggin and over the wall.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 3, 2026

I spotted Hamlet and Horatio reclining in the shade of a great bush, while their horses grazed on sweet grass nearby.

From "Ophelia" by Lisa Klein

Behind guarded gates resembling an Indian maharajah's palace are hundreds of elephants and big cats, giraffes grazing in a mock savannah, and chimpanzees and orangutans swinging from ropes.

From Barron's ● Oct. 30, 2026

Ground beef prices have risen since last year to $6.79 per pound from $5.55 per pound, largely because of declining U.S. cattle herd size and a severe drought that damaged grazing conditions.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 18, 2026

The observatory has helped track these vulnerable plants on land that was previously used for livestock grazing.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 12, 2026

Tom Kimber's family have farmed near Charlton Musgrove in south Somerset, in the heart of England's most productive grazing land.

From BBC ● Oct. 7, 2026

Was he thinking of sheep grazing on empty land?

From "Nory Ryan’s Song" by Patricia Reilly Giff

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Related Words

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• scrape
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