As you are surely aware, there are plenty of words similar in meaning to eat and drink. In this article, we’ll explore some of them to help you describe various shades of meaning and sound more precise whenever you indulge in such common activities as eating and drinking. Read on to avoid sounding too ordinary!

Not Just Eating…

Verb	Meaning	Example
to munch + direct object / at/on	to eat something noisily, often in small bites	1) He sat in a chair munching his toast. 2) She munched at an apple. 3) She sat on the couch, munching on potato chips.
to nibble + direct object / at/on	to eat small amounts slowly or in small bites	1) We sat drinking wine and nibbling olives. 2) She took some cake from the tray and nibbled at it. 3) He nibbled on a piece of cheese while waiting for dinner.
to graze on something	to eat small amounts of food many times during the day, often while doing other things, instead of eating three meals	He grazed on fruits and nuts while working.
to snack on something	to eat a small amount of food between meals	I usually snack on a granola bar in the afternoon.
to peck at something	to eat only a very small amount of a meal because you are not hungry	She pecked at her salad, clearly not hungry.
to pick at something	to peck at something	She sat at the table in silence, picking at her dinner.
to devour /dɪˈvaʊər/	to eat something quickly and eagerly	He devoured half of his burger in one bite.
to gobble /ˈɡɑːbl/ + direct object / up/down	to devour; to eat something very quickly, in a way that people consider rude or greedy	1) Don’t gobble your food like that! 2) They gobbled down all the sandwiches. 3) He gobbled up the last of the chocolates.
to wolf something down	to gobble, devour; to eat very quickly and hungrily	He wolfed down his breakfast because he was late for work.
to scarf something down (informal; American English)	to eat a lot of something quickly	He scarfed down a burger before running to catch his bus.
to bolt something (down)	to eat something very quickly	1) Don’t bolt your food! Chew well. 2) There was barely time to bolt down lunch.
to gorge oneself on something	to eat a lot of something, until you are too full to eat any more	They gorged themselves on sweets at the buffet.
to stuff someone/oneself with something	to gorge; to eat a lot of food or too much food	1) Don’t stuff the kids with chocolate before their dinner. 2) The kids have been stuffing themselves with candy.
to feast on something	to eat a large, luxurious meal, often for celebration	We feasted on roast turkey and all the trimmings at Thanksgiving.
to binge on something	to eat or drink too much, especially without being able to control yourself	When you are hungry, try not to binge on high-fat, high-calorie foods.
to ingest	to take food or drink into the body, often used in scientific contexts	Humans ingest nutrients through a balanced diet.

Practice

Click the link here and choose the verbs which best describe the pictures.

Not Just Drinking…

Verb	Meaning	Example
to sip + direct object / at	to drink something, taking a very small amount each time	1) She sipped her tea while reading a book. 2) She sat there, sipping at her tea.
to nurse	to hold a drink for a long time, drinking it slowly	She nursed a cup of coffee while chatting with her friend.
to savor /ˈseɪvər/	to enjoy the full taste of something, especially by eating or drinking it slowly	She savored the rich aroma of her coffee before taking a sip.
to gulp something down	to swallow large amounts of food or drink quickly	He gulped down a glass of water after his run.
to down	to finish a drink or eat something quickly	He downed a glass of orange juice and rushed out the door.
to drain	to drink until the container is empty	He drained his glass of juice in one go.
to chug (American English)	to drink all of something quickly without stopping	They cheered as he chugged an entire bottle of soda.
to swig + direct object / at	to take a quick drink of something, especially alcohol	1) They sat around swigging beer from bottles. 2) He sat next to me, swigging at a bottle of cola.
to sample	to taste a small amount of a drink, often to test it	The sommelier invited us to sample a rare vintage wine.
to tipple	to drink alcohol, especially habitually	1) He likes tippling and gambling. 2) He enjoyed tippling a bit of wine after dinner.
to slurp	to drink noisily, often when something is hot	She slurped her soup despite her mother’s disapproval.
to guzzle (usually disapproving)	to drink greedily and excessively	1) The kids seem to be guzzling soft drinks all day. 2) The athlete guzzled an energy drink after the match.
to lap something up	(of animals) to drink eagerly	The calf lapped up the bucket of milk.
to imbibe /ɪmˈbaɪb/ (formal or humorous)	to drink something, especially alcohol	Guests imbibed fine wine at the gala.
to quaff /kwæf/,   /kwɑːf/ (old-fashioned or literary)	to drink something heartily and with enjoyment	After working all day, he quaffed a pint of cold beer.

Practice

Click the link here and pick the right word to describe the drinking in the pictures.

Try to use the words above to describe your eating and drinking habits. How do you usually eat during the day? Do you have time to savor your food, or do you often down something on the go? Do you think it’s okay to wolf down food? Why or why not? Remember, practice makes perfect, so feel free to practice in the comments below. We promise to get back to you with feedback. 😉