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

The rising sun bathes the rolling Herefordshire hillsides in a warm glow as birds gently chirp and sheep graze in the fields.

From BBC ● Jul. 13, 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

“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

On the days I don’t spend watching other people watch us, I help my older cousins bring their cows to the field to graze.

From "First They Killed My Father: A Daughter of Cambodia Remembers" by Loung Ung

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

From Salon ● Jul. 18, 2026

"We've had complaints about it in the past and people obviously raising concerns about cuts and grazes, so it is something we have to factor in," she says.

From BBC ● Aug. 4, 2024

“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

It's brown and straight, and it's cut on an angle so it grazes the jawline on both sides of her face.

From "Things Not Seen" by Andrew Clements

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

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 29, 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

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

From BBC ● Feb. 9, 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

Thanks to their grazing, he believed his farm was still standing, even if he knew "the surrounding plots were reduced to ash".

From Barron's ● Jul. 25, 2026

These cleared spaces can provide appealing grazing areas for smaller animals.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 15, 2026

"It was unreal," he said, adding that while ponies grazing on the mountain had escaped, he feared for a neighbour's pigs as flames swept through surrounding land.

From BBC ● Jul. 14, 2026

Croatia fans can hardly believe that their extra-time equalizer against Portugal was wiped out for an offside call triggered by a cross grazing a player’s hair.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 13, 2026

In the morning, Connor blinks and rolls over and stretches his arms, his small knuckles grazing the headboard behind his mountain of pillows.

From "The Sea in Winter" by Christine Day

Related Words

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