graze¹ (grāz)

v., grazed, graz·ing, graz·es.

v.intr.

1. To feed on growing grasses and herbage.
2. Informal.
   1. To eat a variety of appetizers as a full meal.
   2. To eat snacks throughout the day in place of full meals.

v.tr.

1. To feed on (herbage) in a field or on pastureland.
2. To feed on the herbage of (a piece of land).
3. To afford herbage for the feeding of: This field will graze 30 head of cattle.
4. To put (livestock) out to feed.
5. To tend (feeding livestock) in a pasture.

[Middle English grasen, from Old English grasian, from græs, grass.]

grazeable graze'a·ble or graz'a·ble adj.
grazer graz'er n.

graze² (grāz)

v., grazed, graz·ing, graz·es.

v.tr.

1. To touch lightly in passing; brush. See synonyms at brush¹.
2. To scrape or scratch slightly; abrade.

v.intr.
To scrape or touch something lightly in passing.

n.

1. The act of brushing or scraping along a surface.
2. A minor scratch or abrasion.

[Perhaps from GRAZE¹.]

---

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

---