v. Function: verb
1 to take in as food FF1C; they quickly ate a light breakfast FF1E;
Synonyms: consume, devour, feed (on), ingest, meal, partake (of), take; compare CONSUME 5
Related Words: banquet, feast, gormandize; eat up, gobble (up or down), gorge (on), ||mop (up), polish off, scoff; breakfast, dine, lunch, nosh, snack, sup; mouth, ||muckamuck; nibble, pick
Idioms: break bread, get away with, have ( or take) a bite, take nourishment, ||put on the feed bag
2
Synonyms: CONSUME 1, devour, eat up, exhaust, use up
3 to consume gradually FF1C; the acid ate the surface of the copper FF1E;
Synonyms: bite, corrode, eat away, erode, gnaw, scour, wear (away)
Related Words: nibble (away); consume, decompose, disintegrate, dissolve