DictionaryAI

ate

AYT/eɪt/
As a nounAH-tay

Noun pluralates

4 meanings of ate

Practice

  1. 1
    took foodverb
    Past tense of eat. Use it for the past.

    We ate breakfast on the porch this morning.

    She ate every vegetable on her plate.

    UsageSay we ate, but we have eaten.

  2. 2
    after hadverbnonstandard
    Past participle of eat. Some people say this after 'have' or 'had,' but the usual form is 'eaten.'

    By the time I got home, the dog had ate my sandwich.

    They had ate all the snacks before the movie even started.

    Note
  3. 3
    older sisternounPhilippinescountable
    A person's older sister.

    My ate taught me how to ride a bike.

    Ate always looked after her younger siblings after school.

    UsageSay my ate, or call her Ate.

Less common meaning

  1. 4
    polite titlenounPhilippines
    A polite title used when speaking to or about an older woman.

    At the market, I asked the ate selling mangoes for a better price.

    He bowed slightly and thanked the ate for her kindness.

    UsageUse it on its own or before a woman's first name: Ate Maria.

    Note

ate is a form of eat

eat, verb: To put food in your mouth and swallow it, or to have a meal. Full entry

Forms
eateats he/she/iteating -ing formate past tenseeaten past participle
Spelling
eat → ate: irregular (no -ed)

Practice

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Origins

Meanings 1–2

It comes from Old English ǣt, from older Germanic word forms.

Checked 31 Oct 2026 · 2 facts

Meanings 3–4

It was borrowed from Tagalog ate, meaning 'elder sister', which came from Hokkien Chinese.

Checked 31 Oct 2026 · 1 fact

  • English ate was borrowed from Tagalog ate, meaning 'elder sister', which derives from Hokkien Chinese. en.wiktionary.org