Standard Lemma guide

eater

noun · 5 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • General-American: /ˈiː.tɚ/
  • General-American: /ˈiː.ɾɚ/
  • Received-Pronunciation: /ˈiː.tə/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • rhymes with -iːtə(ɹ)
  • CMU ARPABET: IY1 T ER0 Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

noun

Meaning 1

A person or animal who eats.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • a very fussy eater
  • 2001, Cool Sexy Guy, Story: Cheerleading Camp Group: alt.sex The girls were having lots of fun rolling around on the bed, though Kacie was a much better fingerer and occasional eater.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

A fruit or other food that is suitable for eating, especially one that is intended to be eaten uncooked.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

A configuration of cells that appears to consume another configuration by gradually causing it to disappear.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Topics: cellular-automata, computing, engineering, mathematics, natural-sciences, physical-sciences, sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

noun

Meaning 4

any green goods that are good to eat

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • these apples are good eaters

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: produce, green goods, green groceries, garden truck

5

noun

Meaning 5

someone who consumes food for nourishment

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: feeder

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: consumer

Narrower terms: devourer, diner, dunker, glutton, gourmand, gourmandizer, trencherman, gobbler, luncher, mouth, mycophagist, mycophage, nosher, snacker, omnivore, picnicker, picknicker, scoffer, gorger, vegetarian

History

Etymology

From Middle English eter, etere, etter, from Old English etere; equivalent to eat + -er (agent noun suffix) or + -er (patient suffix) (food suitable for eating).

Across languages

Translations

42 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Albanian: ngrënës — one who eats
  • Albanian: hamës — one who eats
  • Arabic: آكِل (ʔākil) — one who eats
  • Assamese: ভোক্তা (bhükta) — one who eats
  • Catalan: menjador — one who eats
  • Chichewa: mdya — one who eats
  • Chichewa: wakudya — one who eats
  • Chichewa: wanyole — one who eats
  • Chinese Mandarin: 食者 (shí zhě) — one who eats
  • Chinese Mandarin: 進食者 /进食者 (jìnshí zhě) — one who eats
  • Dutch: eter — one who eats
  • Finnish: syöjä — one who eats
  • French: mangeur — one who eats
  • Galician: comedor — one who eats
  • German: Esser — one who eats
  • Gothic: 𐌰𐍆𐌴𐍄𐌾𐌰 (afētja) — one who eats
  • Hindi: आहारी (āhārī) — one who eats
  • Hindi: भक्षी (bhakṣī) — one who eats
  • Hindi: भोक्ता (bhoktā) — one who eats
  • Hindi: भक्षक (bhakṣak) — one who eats
  • Hungarian: evő — one who eats
  • Italian: mangiatore — one who eats
  • Central Kurdish: بخۆر (bixor) — one who eats
  • Latin: ēsor — one who eats
  • Macedonian: јадач (jadač) — one who eats
  • Norman: mangeux — one who eats
  • Old English: ǣta — one who eats
  • Polish: zjadacz — one who eats
  • Portuguese: comedor — one who eats
  • Romanian: mâncător — one who eats
  • Russian: едо́к (jedók) — one who eats
  • Russian: поедатель (pojedatelʹ) — one who eats
  • Russian: поедательница (pojedatelʹnica) — one who eats
  • Slovene: jédec — one who eats
  • Slovene: jédka — one who eats
  • Spanish: comedor — one who eats
  • Swahili: mla — one who eats
  • Swedish: ätare — one who eats
  • Turkish: yiyici — one who eats
  • Ukrainian: їде́ць (jidécʹ) — one who eats
  • Yoruba: ajẹun — one who eats
  • Yoruba: ọ̀jẹun — one who eats
Real reading context

eater in complete knowledge articles