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.

---

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.

---

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

---

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

---

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

For the first time in more than half a century, the volunteers have for the past three years encouraged local commoners' association members to graze their cows on the site, to help maintain the habitat.

From BBC ● Jul. 10, 2026

Flamingoes feed in a lagoon on the thin peninsula—protesters call the demonstrations the flamingo revolution—and sheep graze next to locals swimming in the ocean.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 11, 2026

“Justice is when you can trot where you like and graze where you want. When you can fight to go your own way,” he says in the book.

From Salon ● May 17, 2026

At Hothfield Heathlands, the highland cows had been used as working livestock animals to graze on the grass and help to manage the reserve.

From BBC ● Mar. 31, 2026

I move again, and just graze the top of your hands.

From "The Thing About Jellyfish" by Ali Benjamin

Miss Cupit previously claimed that keeping the bridge lock-free will "improve public safety" because of the risk of "grazes and cuts from protruding locks".

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

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

From Salon ● Sep. 10, 2023

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

She pulls her head back just in time, and my elbow grazes her chin.

From "Divergent" by Veronica Roth

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

Dr Mo Verhoeven, lead conservation scientist at the RSPB, said Cumbria was chosen because fungi which supported trees had transitioned to fungi found in grasslands that "have been grazed for hundreds of years".

From BBC ● Feb. 28, 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

Cattle grazed in thick grass that rippled about their legs, and goats with fat udders wandered with clanking iron bells tied about their necks.

From "A Girl Named Disaster" by Nancy Farmer

Changes in feeding, movement, and fear can spread through ecosystems, affecting grazing patterns, predator-prey relationships, and broader ecological stability.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 15, 2026

Floodplain meadows were once a traditional part of the countryside, providing food for grazing animals and storing rain water in the winter.

From BBC ● Jul. 13, 2026

But urbanisation, changing land use and the abandonment of grazing and other traditional farming practises, appear to have significantly reduced available food sources, the wildlife groups noted.

From Barron's ● Jul. 9, 2026

Amid the frenzy, there were postgame reports that Matanovic felt a grazing of his hair, meaning he may turn up at the next Cup with a dome shaved to look like peak Telly Savalas.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 3, 2026

A fence lined this part of the driveway, and behind the fence was a sprawling, rolling pasture, lush with tall grass and a few leafy trees, where a herd of cows was grazing.

From "The Wild Robot Escapes" by Peter Brown

Related Words

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