eaten
Definition
Verb (past participle form of "eat"): - To have consumed food: "eaten" is the past participle of the verb "eat," used to indicate that food has been taken into the body through the mouth and swallowed. - To have been consumed or destroyed (figurative): "eaten" can also describe something that has been gradually worn away, corroded, or damaged by a chemical or natural process.
Usage Examples
- (She has consumed her midday meal.)
- (The cake was consumed by the children.)
- (The metal was gradually destroyed by corrosion.)
- (He had consumed an excessive amount of food.)
Advanced Usage
- "eaten up with": consumed or overwhelmed by a strong emotion.
- He was eaten up with jealousy. (He was completely consumed by jealousy.)
- "eaten alive": to be bitten or attacked repeatedly by insects, or to be harshly criticized.
- The campers were eaten alive by mosquitoes. (They were bitten many times by mosquitoes.)
- The politician was eaten alive during the debate. (He was severely criticized.)
Variants and Related Words
- Eat (verb, base form): to consume food.
- I eat breakfast every morning.
- Eats (verb, third person singular): he/she/it consumes food.
- She eats only vegetables.
- Eating (verb, present participle): the act of consuming food.
- He is eating dinner now.
- Uneaten (adjective): not consumed.
- The uneaten food was thrown away.
Synonyms
- Consumed: taken in as food or drink.
- Devoured: eaten quickly and hungrily.
- Ingested: taken into the body through the mouth (formal).
- Corroded: gradually destroyed by chemical action (for figurative use).
Phrasal Verbs
- Eat away: to gradually destroy or erode.
- The acid ate away the metal. (The acid gradually damaged the metal.)
- Eat up: to consume completely.
- Eat up your vegetables before dessert. (Finish all your vegetables.)
- Eat into: to use or consume part of something, especially resources.
- The high costs ate into our savings. (The costs reduced our savings.)
Related Idioms
- Eaten out of house and home: to consume so much food that it causes financial strain.
- The teenagers have eaten us out of house and home. (They have eaten a huge amount of our food.)
- Eaten one's words: to be forced to retract a statement.
- After the facts came out, he had to eat his words. (He had to admit he was wrong.)