Definition

1. Noun:

   • The usual food and drink consumed by an organism: The typical or habitual pattern of what a person or animal eats and drinks.
   • A prescribed selection of foods: A regulated or planned course of food intake, often for health, medical, or weight-management reasons.
   • A legislative assembly in certain countries: A formal deliberative or legislative body, such as in Japan or some historical European contexts.
   • The act of restricting your food intake: The action of limiting what or how much you eat, typically for a specific purpose.

2. Verb:

   • To eat sparingly or according to a specific plan: To restrict one's food intake, often for health reasons or to lose weight.
   • To follow a regimen or a diet: To adhere to a particular eating plan.

Examples of Usage

• Noun:

  • The traditional Japanese diet includes rice, fish, and vegetables. (Refers to habitual food consumption.)
  • Her doctor recommended a low-sodium diet to manage her blood pressure. (Refers to a prescribed selection of foods.)
  • The issue was debated in the Diet. (Refers to the Japanese legislative assembly.)
  • She went on a strict diet to prepare for the competition. (Refers to the act of restricting food.)

• Verb:

  • He has been dieting for three months and has lost ten pounds.
  • After the diagnosis, she must diet carefully to control her cholesterol.

Advanced Usage

• "To be on a diet": To be actively following a specific eating plan, usually for weight loss or health.

  • I can't eat cake; I'm on a diet.

• "To put someone on a diet": To prescribe or enforce a specific eating plan for someone else.

  • The vet put my dog on a diet because he was gaining too much weight.

Variants and Related Words

• Dietary (adj): Relating to or provided by diet.

  • She has specific dietary requirements due to her allergies.

• Dieter (n): A person who is dieting.

  • The program offers support for dieters.

• Dietetics (n): The science concerned with nutrition and diet.

  • She studied dietetics to become a nutritionist.

Synonyms

• Noun (for food intake): Nutrition, fare, food plan, regimen.
• Noun (for assembly): Assembly, parliament, congress.
• Verb: Fast, reduce, slim, watch one's weight.

Related Phrases (Phrasal Verbs)

• Diet down (informal): To lose weight by dieting.
  • He's trying to diet down before his wedding.

Related Idioms

• A balanced diet: A diet that contains the proper proportions of nutrients.

  • The key to good health is a balanced diet and regular exercise.

• Starvation diet: An excessively restrictive diet that provides insufficient nutrition.

  • She tried a starvation diet, but it was unsustainable and unhealthy.

Noun

1. the act of restricting your food intake (or your intake of particular foods)
2. the usual food and drink consumed by an organism (person or animal)
3. a legislative assembly in certain countries (e.g., Japan)
4. a prescribed selection of foods

Verb

1. eat sparingly, for health reasons or to lose weight
2. follow a regimen or a diet, as for health reasons
   • He has high blood pressure and must stick to a low-salt diet