Language tip of the week: eat

In this weekly post, we bring more useful content from the Macmillan Dictionary to English language learners. These tips are usually based on areas of English which learners find difficult, e.g. spelling, grammar, collocation, synonyms, etc.

This week’s language tip helps with other ways of saying eat:

have breakfast/lunch/dinner to eat a particular meal:
Have you had breakfast yet? ♦ He phoned while we were having lunch.
have something to eat to eat something or to have a meal:
We’ll stop and have something to eat when we get to Newcastle.
snack/have a snack to eat something small between your main meals:
We usually have a drink and a snack around 11. ♦ No snacking on the bus, kids!
grab a bite (to eat) (informal) to eat a snack or small meal when you do not have much time:
Maybe we could grab a bite at Charlie’s before the film.
eat up to finish all the food you have been given:
Eat up! There’s plenty more.
nibble (at) to take very small bites from your food:
She nibbled at her sandwich politely, waiting for the others to arrive.
chew (on) to use your teeth to break food up slowly in your mouth:
He was chewing on a piece of celery.
munch/munch at to eat something noisily and enthusiastically:
The kids were munching crisps in front of the TV.
stuff yourself (informal) to eat so much that you feel ill or uncomfortable:
I’m not surprised you feel sick, the way you stuffed yourself last night.