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Ate Meaning in English

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'.

Example Sentences

I ate an apple after lunch.

basic

She ate breakfast at home.

basic

We ate pizza last night.

basic

I was so hungry that I ate way too fast.

natural

He ate the last cookie and didn't tell anyone.

natural

By the time we got there, they had already aten.

natural