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

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

He admits that, even if he wanted to graze livestock, he wouldn't know where to begin.

From BBC ● Jun. 18, 2026

Although the heights of the Common were filled with men marching, forming columns, and what-not, Johnny believed he could sneak in by the hurdles and let Sandy and Nan graze along the Charles.

From "Johnny Tremain" by Esther Hoskins Forbes

“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

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

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

From Salon ● Sep. 10, 2023

My mom reaches out and grazes my back with the tips of her fingers.

From "Internment" by Samira Ahmed

Horses which have grazed the cliffs of a coastal beauty spot for more than 100 years have been removed following a row over grazing rights.

From BBC ● Aug. 21, 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

Yet images circulated online that seemed to show that granite being grazed by Canadian fingertips, and on Saturday the Swiss men’s team accused Canada of the same infraction.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 15, 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

He reached over to pull Reg’s leg away from the device and his hands grazed Kaisha’s.

From "Anger Is a Gift" by Mark Oshiro

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

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 28, 2026

Conservation initiative The Grazing Project has pioneered use of the collars on large flocks of sheep, with its efforts so successful it is now training four grazing cows to use the collars too.

From BBC ● 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

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

The van headlights shine on a deer grazing next to the dirt road that led to Sandy June’s on my previous couple of visits.

From "Legendary Frybread Drive-In" by Cynthia Leitich Smith

Related Words

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