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

In the Rocky Mountains, years of extreme heat and drought have baked the landscape, drying up streams that feed the Colorado River and desiccating pastures where cattle graze.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 5, 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

"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

But people I talk to almost all complain about the flopping: Too many players fall to the turf writhing in fake pain to draw a yellow card after the slightest graze by an opponent.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 12, 2026

But her fingers graze my jawline, her thumb on my chin.

From "Leah on the Offbeat" by Becky Albertalli

Fresh from his latest victory, Nolan reaches for the stars and grazes the Gods.

From Salon ● Jul. 18, 2026

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

I imagine that I’m huddled over there with them, wearing a burgundy skirt that grazes my knees and white socks pulled up my calves and an ironed white shirt and neat vest and sparkly barrettes.

From "The Queen of Water" by Laura Resau

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

For centuries, people in Britain and the rest of Europe grew crops and grazed livestock on large areas of land that were not owned by anyone.

From "An Indigenous People’s History of the United States" by Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz

Now about half a million acres are sitting dormant, and other abandoned groves have been absorbed for cattle grazing or Florida’s lucrative development sprawl.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 19, 2026

The work will also build on innovative use of GPS livestock collars to manage grazing more precisely.

From BBC ● Sep. 10, 2026

Authorities have also allowed a temporary easing of strict rules for making several types of cheese after heatwaves scorched grazing pastures.

From Barron's ● Sep. 9, 2026

One of the most memorable photographs on view was taken by Jeanne-Claude, printed large and picturing a wide expanse of landscape, with cows grazing near the fence.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 2, 2026

That evening when the cows got back from grazing, we had a lot of milk to drink, so we were well fed.

From "Facing the Lion" by Joseph Lemasolai Lekuton and Herman Viola

Related Words

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