eat up

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eat up (third-person singular simple present eats up, present participle eating up, simple past ate up, past participle eaten up)

1. (transitive, intransitive) To consume completely.

   He was so hungry that he ate up everything on his plate.

   Dinner is served. Eat up!

2. (transitive, figurative) To subtract, use up.
   • 1934, Frank Richards, The Magnet: The Mystery of the Vaults:

     The powerful car ate up the miles.

   His behavior has eaten up all the goodwill we felt towards him.

3. (transitive, figurative, informal) To accept or believe entirely, immediately, and without questioning.

   She ate up everything that her image consultant said.

4. (US, informal) to find something to be very cute (typically only used for children or pets)

   You're so cute, I could just eat you up!

• chow down
• eat something up with a spoon

• ate up, taupe