ate
word · lemma: eat
/ˈeɪt/
ayt
/ˈiːt/
eet
Definition
Past tense of 'eat'. It means someone had food in their mouth, chewed it, and swallowed it.
Usage & Nuances
Use 'ate' for completed actions in the past: 'I ate breakfast at 8.' The base form is 'eat', and the past participle is 'eaten', so don't say 'have ate'—say 'have eaten'. Common collocations include 'ate breakfast', 'ate dinner', and 'ate too much'.
Spanish: comióPortuguese (BR): comeuPortuguese (PT): comeuChinese (Simplified): 吃了Chinese (Traditional): 喫了Hindi: खायाArabic: أكلBengali: খেয়েছিলRussian: съел - съела - съелиJapanese: 食べたVietnamese: đã ănKorean: 먹었다Turkish: yediUrdu: کھایاIndonesian: makan
Example Sentences
She ate breakfast at home.
basic
I was so hungry that I ate way too fast.
natural
I ate an apple after lunch.
basic
We ate pizza last night.
basic
He ate the last cookie and didn't tell anyone.
natural
By the time we got there, they had already aten.
natural