Ate

/eɪt/

Meaning & Definition

verb

Past tense of eat; to have consumed food.

I ate a delicious sandwich for lunch.

To consume food in the past.

She ate quickly so she wouldn't be late for the meeting.

To have ingested food.

They ate all the cookies before dinner.

To have taken in nourishment through the mouth.

He ate his breakfast before heading to work.

To have experienced or undergone the act of eating.

We ate out at a fancy restaurant last night.

Middle English, from Old English 'ātan'; related to Dutch 'eten' and German 'essen'.

ate my heart out:

To be very envious or jealous.

ate up:

To consume completely, often used figuratively.

you ate that:

A phrase used to indicate that someone has done something very well or impressively.

Ate (as in performed excellently)

She really ate that performance.

Ate it (failed spectacularly)

He totally ate it on that exam.