eat
verb (used with object)
to take into the mouth and swallow for nourishment; chew and swallow (food).
had eaten
-
past perfectof eat.past perfect
Used to express a completed action that took place before another specific past action occurred.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
By week’s end, we had eaten 16 kinds of pie at least once.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 6, 2026
She would not necessarily sit down with you; chances were good that she had eaten hours earlier, at some time I associated primarily with airport departures and dairy farming.
From Salon ● Aug. 31, 2026
The jurors had exclusive use of a separate floor of the hotel, the email said, and had eaten their meals in a conference room, away from all other guests.
From BBC ● Aug. 22, 2026
Participants also completed four dietary recalls during the study describing what they had eaten during the previous 24 hours.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 10, 2026
This may have been the most delicious thing he had eaten in his entire life.
From "The Very, Very Far North" by Dan Bar-el
