ăn vặt
Definition
Verb:
- To snack: The primary meaning of "ăn vặt" is to eat small amounts of food, often casually or between main meals.
Noun:
- Snacking: The act or habit of eating snacks.
- Snack food: Refers to the types of food typically consumed as snacks.
Usage Examples
Verb:
- Trẻ con thích ăn vặt. (Children like to snack.)
- Cô ấy đang ăn vặt trước bữa tối. (She is snacking before dinner.)
Noun:
- Ăn vặt nhiều không tốt cho sức khỏe. (Snacking a lot is not good for your health.)
- Phố này nổi tiếng với các món ăn vặt. (This street is famous for its snack foods.)
Advanced Usage
- The term often implies informal, light eating that is not part of a structured meal. It can carry a slightly negative connotation when referring to unhealthy eating habits.
Variants and Related Words
- Đồ ăn vặt (n): Snacks, snack food.
- Tôi mua một ít đồ ăn vặt. (I bought some snacks.)
Synonyms
- To nibble: To eat small bites of food.
- To graze: To eat food at irregular intervals, similar to casual snacking.
Related Idioms
- Ăn vặt vãnh: To snack incessantly or frivolously, often implying a lack of substance or purpose.
- Suốt ngày chỉ biết ăn vặt vãnh. (All day long, all they do is snack pointlessly.)