graze
1 Americanverb (used without object)
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to feed on growing grass and pasturage, as do cattle, sheep, etc.
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Informal. to eat small portions of food, as appetizers or the like, in place of a full-sized meal or to snack during the course of the day in place of regular meals.
verb (used with object)
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to feed on (growing grass).
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to put cattle, sheep, etc., to feed on (grass, pastureland, etc.).
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to tend (cattle, sheep, etc.) while they are at pasture.
verb
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to allow (animals) to consume the vegetation on (an area of land), or (of animals, esp cows and sheep) to feed thus
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(tr) to tend (livestock) while at pasture
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informal to eat snacks throughout the day rather than formal meals
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informal to eat
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informal (intr) to switch between television channels while viewing without watching any channel for long
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to pilfer and eat sweets, vegetables, etc, from supermarket shelves while shopping
noun
verb
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to brush or scrape (against) gently, esp in passing
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(tr) to break the skin of (a part of the body) by scraping
noun
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the act of grazing
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a scrape or abrasion made by grazing
Other Word Forms
- grazeable adjective
- grazer noun
- grazingly adverb
Etymology
Origin of graze1
First recorded before 1000; Middle English grasen, Old English grasian, derivative of græs grass
Origin of graze2
First recorded in 1350–1400; perhaps special use of graze 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.
She is pushing the county to consider alternatives, including perhaps hand weeding or even grazing goats.
From Los Angeles Times
Dr Mo Verhoeven, lead conservation scientist at the RSPB, said Cumbria was chosen because fungi which supported trees had transitioned to fungi found in grasslands that "have been grazed for hundreds of years".
From BBC
Fingers gently graze against a shared water bottle.
From BBC
For generations, it has symbolized resilience and rural life, valued for its toughness, ability to graze on marginal land, and nutrient-dense milk that supported small farmers.
From Science Daily
The next day, as Duane headed out of his cave and down the hill, he spotted the stranger grazing near Handsome.
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.
