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Synonyms

ate

1 American  
[eyt, et] / eɪt, ɛt /

verb

  1. simple past tense of eat.

Ate 2 American  
[ey-tee, ah-tee] / ˈeɪ ti, ˈɑ ti /

noun

  1. an ancient Greek goddess personifying the fatal blindness or recklessness that produces crime and the divine punishment that follows it.

ATE 3 American  

  1. equipment that makes a series of tests automatically.

-ate 4 American  

  1. a suffix occurring in loanwords from Latin, its English distribution paralleling that of Latin. The form originated as a suffix added to a- stem verbs to form adjectives (separate ). The resulting form could also be used independently as a noun (advocate ) and came to be used as a stem on which a verb could be formed (separate; advocate; agitate ). In English the use as a verbal suffix has been extended to stems of non-Latin origin: calibrate; acierate .

-ate 5 American  

  1. a specialization of -ate, used to indicate a salt of an acid ending in -ic , added to a form of the stem of the element or group: nitrate; sulfate .

-ate 6 American  

  1. a suffix occurring originally in nouns borrowed from Latin, and in English coinages from Latin bases, that denote offices or functions (consulate; triumvirate; pontificate ), as well as institutions or collective bodies (electorate; senate ); sometimes extended to denote a person who exercises such a function (magistrate; potentate ), an associated place (consulate ), or a period of office or rule (protectorate ). Joined to stems of any origin, ate3 signifies the office, term of office, or territory of a ruler or official (caliphate; khanate; shogunate ).

-ate 1 British  

suffix

  1. (forming adjectives) possessing; having the appearance or characteristics of

    fortunate

    palmate

    Latinate

  2. (forming nouns) a chemical compound, esp a salt or ester of an acid

    carbonate

    stearate

  3. (forming nouns) the product of a process

    condensate

  4. forming verbs from nouns and adjectives

    hyphenate

    rusticate
"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
-ate 2 British  

suffix

  1. denoting office, rank, or a group having a certain function

    episcopate

    electorate
"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Ate 3 British  
/ ˈɑːtɪ, ˈeɪtɪ /

noun

  1. Greek myth a goddess who makes men blind so that they will blunder into guilty acts

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
ate 4 British  
/ eɪt, ɛt /

verb

  1. the past tense of eat

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of Ate2

< Greek, special use of átē reckless impulse, ruin, akin to aáein to mislead, harm

Origin of ATE3

a(utomatic) t(est) e(quipment)

Origin of -ate4

< Latin -ātus (masculine), -āta (feminine), -ātum (neuter), equivalent to -ā- thematic vowel + -tus, -ta, -tum past participle suffix

Origin of -ate5

Probably originally in New Latin phrases, as plumbum acetātum salt produced by the action of acetic acid on lead

Origin of -ate6

< Latin -ātus (genitive -ātūs ), generalized from v. derivatives, as augurātus office of an augur ( augurā(re) to foretell by augury + -tus suffix of v. action), construed as derivative of augur augur 1

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Mice that ate a diet low in these amino acids burned more calories than mice fed a standard diet.

From Science Daily

The sisters and their party ate in the elegant, paneled dining room and visited in the plush sitting rooms, enjoying views of the passing Catskill Mountains.

From Literature

Ravens recently ate the internet-famous bald eagle couple’s two eggs, a sad twist to the nesting season.

From Los Angeles Times

During the intensive phase, participants ate boiled oatmeal three times daily and could only add small amounts of fruit or vegetables.

From Science Daily

He ate a quick breakfast to fortify himself before venturing down the hill to Handsome’s field where the musk ox stood sleeping next to the reflection pond.

From Literature

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.