gobble
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Related to gobble: gobbler
gobble down
To eat something very quickly and eagerly. A noun or pronoun can be used between "gobble" and "down." Now that the baby is eating solid food, she just gobbles down anything we put in front of her.
gobble up
1. To eat something in its entirety very quickly and eagerly. A noun or pronoun can be used between "gobble" and "up." Now that the baby is eating solid food, she just gobbles up anything we put in front of her.
2. To use or deplete something quickly and in its entirety. A noun or pronoun can be used between "gobble" and "up." Developers have gobbled up all of the least expensive homes in our neighborhood, unfortunately.
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2015 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.
gobble someone or something up
to eat someone or something completely and rapidly. The wolf said that he was going to gobble the little girl up. The wolf wanted to gobble up the little pig.
gobble something down
to eat something very fast, swallowing large chunks. The dog gobbled the meat down in seconds. The cat gobbled down the sardines.
gobble something up
to use up, buy up, or occupy all of something. The shoppers gobbled all the sale merchandise up in a few hours. They gobbled up everything.
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs. © 2002 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
gobble down
v.
To eat something completely and in haste, especially by swallowing large amounts at a time: The family gobbled down the peach pie. I was so hungry that when they gave me food, I gobbled it down.
gobble up
v.
To eat something completely and in haste: We gobbled up our meal and left for the theater. The babysitter grabbed the brownies and gobbled them up.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Phrasal Verbs. Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.