Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • intransitive verb To touch lightly in passing; brush. synonym: brush.
  • intransitive verb To scrape or scratch slightly; abrade.
  • intransitive verb To scrape or touch something lightly in passing.
  • noun The act of brushing or scraping along a surface.
  • noun A minor scratch or abrasion.
  • intransitive verb To feed on growing grasses and herbage.
  • intransitive verb To eat a variety of appetizers as a full meal.
  • intransitive verb To eat snacks throughout the day in place of full meals.
  • intransitive verb To feed on (herbage) in a field or on pastureland.
  • intransitive verb To feed on the herbage of (a piece of land).
  • intransitive verb To afford herbage for the feeding of.
  • intransitive verb To put (livestock) out to feed.
  • intransitive verb To tend (feeding livestock) in a pasture.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • To touch or rub lightly in passing; brush lightly the surface of: as, the bullet grazed his cheek; the ship grazed the rocks.
  • To abrade; scrape the skin from.
  • To act with a slight rubbing or abrading motion; give a light touch in moving or passing.
  • To eat grass; feed on growing herbage.
  • To supply grass.
  • To spread and devour, as fire.
  • To feed or supply with growing grass; furnish pasture for.
  • To feed on; eat growing herbage from.
  • To tend while grazing, as cattle.
  • noun The act of grazing or feeding on grass.
  • noun The act of grazing or slightly abrading; a slight stroke or scratch in passing.
  • noun In gunnery, the point where a shot strikes the ground or water and rebounds.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • intransitive verb To eat grass; to feed on growing herbage.
  • intransitive verb To yield grass for grazing.
  • intransitive verb To touch something lightly in passing.
  • noun colloq. The act of grazing; the cropping of grass.
  • noun A light touch; a slight scratch.
  • transitive verb To feed or supply (cattle, sheep, etc.) with grass; to furnish pasture for.
  • transitive verb To feed on; to eat (growing herbage); to eat grass from (a pasture); to browse.
  • transitive verb To tend (cattle, etc.) while grazing.
  • transitive verb To rub or touch lightly the surface of (a thing) in passing.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun The act of grazing; a scratching or injuring lightly on passing.
  • noun A light abrasion; a slight scratch.
  • verb transitive To feed or supply (cattle, sheep, etc.) with grass; to furnish pasture for.
  • verb intransitive To feed on; to eat (growing herbage); to eat grass from (a pasture); to browse.
  • verb transitive To tend (cattle, etc.) while grazing.
  • verb transitive To rub or touch lightly the surface of (a thing) in passing.
  • verb transitive To cause a slight wound to; to scratch.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • verb feed as in a meadow or pasture
  • noun a superficial abrasion
  • verb let feed in a field or pasture or meadow
  • verb break the skin (of a body part) by scraping
  • noun the act of grazing
  • verb scrape gently
  • verb eat lightly, try different dishes

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Perhaps from graze.]

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Middle English grasen, from Old English grasian, from græs, grass; see ghrē- in Indo-European roots.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From O.E. grasian - "to feed on grass", from Proto-Germanic *grasan.

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Examples

Comments

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  • JM has noted that herbivores come in browns and graze.

    July 27, 2011