graze on

Meaning

This phrasal verb means to eat small amounts of food continuously throughout the day, rather than eating full, structured meals. It is a metaphor borrowed from farm animals (like cows or sheep) eating grass. The tone is highly casual and often used to describe snacking habits, sometimes with a slightly playful or self-deprecating connotation.

Examples

• Instead of eating a heavy lunch, I prefer to graze on healthy snacks all afternoon.

  Instead of eating a heavy lunch, I prefer to graze on healthy snacks all afternoon.

• She spent the entire weekend grazing on leftovers from the party.

  She spent the entire weekend grazing on leftovers from the party.

• If you graze on junk food all day, you won't have an appetite for dinner.

  If you graze on junk food all day, you won't have an appetite for dinner.

• I tend to graze on nuts and dried fruit while I'm working at my desk.

  I tend to graze on nuts and dried fruit while I'm working at my desk.

• The guests walked around the room, grazing on the appetizers provided.

  The guests walked around the room, grazing on the appetizers provided.

Common Mistakes

• ✗ I love to graze at snacks when I watch TV.

  ✓ I love to graze on snacks when I watch TV.

  The phrasal verb is strictly 'graze on' when followed by the specific food items being consumed. 'Graze at' is incorrect.

• ✗ He was grazing food all day.

  ✓ He was grazing on food all day.

  'Graze' requires the preposition 'on' when we specify what is being eaten. Without 'on,' it sounds like a transitive verb, which is only used for animals eating grass directly.

Related Expressions

Practice

• I try not to ___ potato chips while studying.

  💡 Snack on small amounts of.

  Show answer

  graze on

• It's easy to spend the whole Sunday just ___ whatever is in the fridge.

  💡 Eating small bits of.

  Show answer

  grazing on