eat out

1. To eat a meal outside of one's home, as at a restaurant. The meal can be specified between "eat" and "out." Let's eat out tonight—I don't feel like cooking. We can't eat lunch out every single day—do you know how much that would cost?

2. To eat the inner part of something. In this usage, a noun or pronoun can be used between "eat" and "out." Ugh, it looks like bugs have eaten out all of the tomatoes in my garden.

3. To criticize one harshly. In this usage, a noun or pronoun can be used between "eat" and "out." The teacher will eat you out if you come in without your homework again today.

4. vulgar slang To perform cunnilingus on a woman. In this usage, a noun or pronoun can be used between "eat" and "out."

1. . to eat some kind of meal or a particular food away from home, as at a restaurant. We eat fish out, but we don't cook it at home. We may eat out a meal or two, but certainly not every meal.

2. [for something or an animal] to consume the inside of something. The ants ate the inside of the pumpkin out. The ants ate out the pumpkin.

1. Have a meal outside one's home, usually at a restaurant. For example, We're almost out of groceries, so let's eat out tonight. [Second half of 1900s] For the antonym, see eat in.

2. eat someone out Also, eat someone up. Rebuke or scold someone sharply, as in He was always eating out the kids, or Why are you eating me up? I haven't done anything wrong. This slangy synonym for chew out probably originated as a euphemism for eat someone's ass out. It dates from the 1940s, the variant from the 1840s. Also see the subsequent entries beginning with eat out.