Graze

• POS: Noun, Verb (usu participle), Verb (transitive)

CIDE DICTIONARY

Graze, v. t. [OE. grasen, AS. grasian, fr. græs grass. See Grass.].

•  To feed or supply (cattle, sheep, etc.) with grass; to furnish pasture for.  [1913 Webster]

  "A field or two to graze his cows."  [1913 Webster]
•  To feed on; to eat (growing herbage); to eat grass from (a pasture); to browse.  [1913 Webster]

  "The lambs with wolves shall graze the verdant mead."  [1913 Webster]
•  To tend (cattle, etc.) while grazing.  [1913 Webster]

  "When Jacob grazed his uncle Laban's sheep."  [1913 Webster]
•  To rub or touch lightly the surface of (a thing) in passing; as, the bullet grazed the wall.  [1913 Webster]

Graze, v. i. 

•  To eat grass; to feed on growing herbage; as, cattle graze on the meadows.  [1913 Webster]
•  To yield grass for grazing.  [1913 Webster]

  "The ground continueth the wet, whereby it will never graze to purpose."  Bacon.  [1913 Webster]
•  To touch something lightly in passing.  [1913 Webster]

Graze, n. 

•  The act of grazing; the cropping of grass.  [1913 Webster]

  "Turning him out for a graze on the common."  [1913 Webster]
•  A light touch; a slight scratch.  [1913 Webster]

OXFORD DICTIONARY

Graze, v.
1 intr. (of cattle, sheep, etc.) eat growing grass.
2 tr. a feed (cattle etc.) on growing grass. b feed on (grass).
3 intr. pasture cattle.

Derivative

grazer n.

Graze, v. & n.
--v.
1 tr. rub or scrape (a part of the body, esp. the skin) so as to break the surface without causing bleeding.
2 a tr. touch lightly in passing. b intr. (foll. by against, along, etc.) move with a light passing contact.
--n. an act or instance of grazing.

Etymology

perh. a specific use of GRAZE(1), as if 'take off the grass close to the ground' (of a shot etc.)

THESAURUS

Graze

ablate, abrade, abrase, attouchement, bark, batten upon, beak, board, bread, breath, browse, bruise, brush, brush by, bunt, caress, carom, chafe, chuck, come in contact, contact, contingence, contuse, crop, cutaneous sense, dab, dap, dine, erase, erode, fatten on, fatten upon, feast on, feast upon, feed, feed on, feel, feeling, file, fillip, fingertip caress, flick, flip, flirt, fodder, forage, fray, frazzle, fret, gall, glance, gnaw, gnaw away, grass, grate, gratify, grind, hand-mindedness, harm, hit, hurt, impinge, impingement, impingence, injure, kiss, lambency, lap, lick, light touch, live on, meat, mess, nudge, osculate, osculation, pasture, pasture on, pat, peck, pick, prey on, provision, rap, rasp, raze, regale, ricochet, rub, rub away, rub off, rub out, ruffle, satisfy, scour, scrape, scrub, scuff, sense of touch, shave, sideswipe, skim, skin, skip, skirt, snap, squeak by, stroke, sustain, sweep, tactile sense, taction, tangency, tap, tentative contact, tentative poke, tickle, tip, touch, touch lightly, touch upon, touching, wear, wear away, whisk, whisper, wine and dine, wound

ROGET THESAURUS

Graze

Contiguity

VB be contiguous, join, adjoin, abut on, march with, graze, touch, meet, osculate, come in contact, coincide, coexist, adhere, juxtapose, contact, join (unite), link (vinculum).

Food

VB eat, feed, fare, devour, swallow, take, gulp, bolt, snap, fall to, despatch, dispatch, discuss, take down, get down, gulp down, lay in, tuck in, lick, pick, peck, gormandize, bite, champ, munch, cranch, craunch, crunch, chew, masticate, nibble, gnaw, mumble, live on, feed upon, batten upon, fatten upon, feast upon, browse, graze, crop, regale, carouse, eat heartily, do justice to, play a good knife and fork, banquet, break bread, break one's fast, breakfast, lunch, dine, take tea, sup, drink in, drink up, drink one's fill, quaff, sip, sup, suck, suck up, lap, swig, swill, chugalug, tipple, empty one's glass, drain the cup, toss off, toss one's glass, wash down, crack a bottle, wet one's whistle, purvey.

Friction

VB rub, scratch, scrape, scrub, slide, fray, rasp, graze, curry, scour, polish, rub out, wear down, gnaw, file, grind, set one's teeth on edge, rosin.