graze

1 of 4

verb (1)

grazed; grazing

intransitive verb

1
: to feed on growing herbage, attached algae, or phytoplankton
cattle grazing on the slopes
2
: to eat small portions of food throughout the day
She was grazing on snacks all afternoon.

transitive verb

1
a
: to crop and eat in the field
b
: to feed on the herbage of
2
a
: to put to graze
grazed his livestock in pastures
b
: to put cattle to graze on
grazed the upper field
3
: to supply herbage for the grazing of
That pasture will graze 30 head of cattle.
grazeable adjective
or grazable
grazer noun

graze

2 of 4

noun (1)

1
: an act of grazing
2
: herbage for livestock to feed on

graze

3 of 4

verb (2)

grazed; grazing

transitive verb

1
: to touch lightly in passing
The car's wheel grazed the curb.
2
: abrade, scratch
grazed her knee when she fell

intransitive verb

: to touch or rub against something in passing
Our fenders just grazed.

graze

4 of 4

noun (2)

: a scraping along a surface or an abrasion made by it
especially : a superficial abrasion of the skin
had a slight graze on her knee from falling

Examples of graze in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Verb
Herder families often move with the seasons, traveling across the country’s vast grasslands to find new pastures to graze their livestock. Helen Regan, CNN, 21 Mar. 2024 Throughout the 1990s, the native grasses were uniformly grazed down to just a couple of centimeters above the soil surface, McAuliffe said. Alex Wigglesworth, Los Angeles Times, 19 Mar. 2024 The startup intends to introduce the elephant-mammoth hybrids into the wild to re-create the role once played by the mammoth in the Arctic ecosystem, grazing the land and trampling snow cover, potentially decelerating the melting of permafrost. Matt Reynolds, WIRED, 6 Mar. 2024 That drizzle may come from the outermost part of a system migrating from the north that is expected to graze the North Bay. Rick Hurd, The Mercury News, 6 Mar. 2024 Almost immediately, young settlers started to graze their livestock on Palestinian fields. Shane Bauer, The New Yorker, 26 Feb. 2024 Gillett said the man eventually fired at least one round at the teens, grazing the stomach of one and penetrating the hip of the other before fleeing the scene. The Arizona Republic, 23 Feb. 2024 Photos show the llamas hanging out together and grazing under tall trees where less snow has fallen. Brooke Baitinger, Idaho Statesman, 5 Feb. 2024 But after an offensive foul by Jokic, Rozier barely grazed the net on a three with 33 seconds left. Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 1 Mar. 2024
Noun
This type of innovation might benefit farmers who let their livestock graze in fields rather than provide them with feed. Paul Winters, Discover Magazine, 16 Mar. 2024 The boy, who suffered a bullet graze to the leg, tracked down a Kansas City police officer. Nouran Salahieh, CNN, 16 Feb. 2024 Endangered species:Damage to riparian areas where cattle graze renews debate over use of public lands in Arizona Why was flycatchers’ endangered status challenged? Hayleigh Evans, The Arizona Republic, 1 Mar. 2024 That is because more and more wineries are starting to graze sheep in their vineyards as part of sustainable, organic, and regenerative farming practices. Liz Thach, Forbes, 30 Nov. 2023 Then, in a third unrelated shooting at around 10 p.m., a 25-year-old Dublin man survived a graze bullet wound to the head near Lake Merritt, police said. Nate Gartrell, The Mercury News, 12 Feb. 2024 Students with bullet wounds, grazes and other injuries were not given medical attention, but rather put onto buses that went to the civic center, which was set up as a reunification center. Melissa Quinn, CBS News, 18 Jan. 2024 The nonfatal shooting that left a 25-year-old Dublin man with a graze wound to the head happened about 9:48 p.m. in the 2200 block of Lakeshore Avenue across from Lake Merritt, authorities said. Will McCarthy, The Mercury News, 7 Jan. 2024 Guests should be able to grab and graze (provide toothpicks or tiny forks or tongs for picking up items). Sheri Castle, Southern Living, 20 Oct. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'graze.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Verb (1) and Noun (1)

Middle English grasen, from Old English grasian, from græs grass

Verb (2) and Noun (2)

perhaps from graze entry 1

First Known Use

Verb (1)

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1

Noun (1)

1857, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb (2)

1604, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Noun (2)

1847, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of graze was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near graze

Cite this Entry

“Graze.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/graze. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

graze

1 of 3 verb
grazed; grazing
1
: to feed on growing grass or herbs
cattle grazing on the hill
2
: to put to feed on grass or herbs
the farmer grazed the cattle

graze

2 of 3 verb
grazed; grazing
1
: to rub or touch lightly in passing : touch against and quickly move away from
the car's wheel grazed the curb
2
: to scratch or scrape by rubbing against something
fell and grazed her knee

graze

3 of 3 noun
: an act or result of grazing
especially : a skin injury caused by grazing : scrape

More from Merriam-Webster on graze

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