graze 1 of 3

verb (1)

ˈgrāz How to pronounce graze (audio)
Definition of grazenext
as in to pasture
to feed on grass or herbs cows grazing in the meadow

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graze

2 of 3

verb (2)

1
as in to scrape
to damage by rubbing against a sharp or rough surface I grazed my elbow diving for the ball

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to brush
to pass lightly across or touch gently especially in passing the volleyball just grazed my face, so I'm okay

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

graze

3 of 3

noun

as in bruise
an area of skin roughened or worn away by harsh rubbing against another surface a stumble that resulted in nothing more serious than a graze on the knee

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of graze
Verb
Fields of solar panels blanket parts of Inner Mongolia, while the slender silhouettes of wind turbines spin above grazing sheep. — Simone McCarthy, CNN Money, 13 Oct. 2026 These days, Bragg lives with Margaret nearby, in a red-cedar cabin on forty acres of pastureland grazed upon by two miniature donkeys. — Charles Bethea, New Yorker, 9 Oct. 2026
Noun
First responders treated one person at the scene for a minor graze injury, officials said. — Mark Price, Charlotte Observer, 3 Aug. 2026 Around the dozens of containers that make Toolik the US’s largest research station in the Arctic, musk ox and caribou graze on dwarf birches and fragrant labrador tea, while Arctic ground squirrels pop out of their burrows to survey the tundra. — Denise Hruby, Miami Herald, 31 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for graze
Recent Examples of Synonyms for graze
  1. pasture
  2. scrape
  3. brush
  4. bruise
  5. feed
  6. scratch
  7. kiss
  8. abrasion
Verb
  • Sadly, the last Blockbuster (aside from one defiant Bend, Oregon, outlier) went out to pasture in 2014, and independent video stores are an increasingly rare sight.
    — Mack DeGeurin, Popular Science, 19 Mar. 2026
  • In Wisconsin, dairy farms are smaller, herds are smaller, and cows are usually sent out to pasture to graze in good weather, which is not easy to come by in Wisconsin.
    — Patt Morrison, Los Angeles Times, 14 Feb. 2026
Definition of pasture
Verb
  • Here’s a guy who scraped his dollars together, came to the club, and out of all the people there, he gets pulled on stage by Ol’ Dirty Bastard.
    — Christine Imarenezor, VIBE.com, 13 Oct. 2026
  • Personal information gets exposed through breaches, scraped from public sources and traded in criminal marketplaces.
    — Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 13 Oct. 2026
Definition of scrape
Verb
  • In one scene, Evans stands completely naked in the shower, brushing his teeth with the bathroom door wide open and the cameras rolling, as Fielder stands awkwardly nearby.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 16 Oct. 2026
  • Exhausted by administrators continuously brushing off the toxic hate, her family is taking the district to court.
    — Staff, FOXNews.com, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of brush
Noun
  • Hutch seemed unhurt beyond a twisted knee, but Ed, stripped naked, was a mass of small cuts and bright greening bruises that made an awful background for ridges of clotted blood.
    — Gerald R. Hunter, Outdoor Life, 15 Oct. 2026
  • At the hospital, medical staff swabbed bruises on her friend for evidence, according to Lara.
    — Taylor Galgano, CNN Money, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of bruise
Verb
  • Salmon born in its tributaries migrate to the ocean, spend years feeding at sea, then return to spawn, linking villages like Rampart to the same waters where the pollock fleet fishes.
    — Annika Hammerschlag, Los Angeles Times, 13 Oct. 2026
  • According to neighbors and Knudsen, Seid and his wife, Barbara, have hired people for years to carry bags of nuts through the neighborhood and the park to feed squirrels, Block Club reported.
    — Catherina Gioino, Fortune, 13 Oct. 2026
Definition of feed
Verb
  • Test the plant’s health by lightly scratching the woody stems—healthy tissue beneath the bark will typically look green.
    — Madeline Buiano, Martha Stewart, 9 Oct. 2026
  • The bear even takes time to exfoliate, using what appears to be a concrete barrier to scratch its back.
    — Jaclyn Cosgrove, Los Angeles Times, 8 Oct. 2026
Definition of scratch
Verb
  • That willingness to take risks extended to campaigning for Jessie and Buzz to kiss amid a perilous action sequence.
    — Davide Abbatescianni, Variety, 16 Oct. 2026
  • The trailer begins as Ziegler’s Mae frantically asks family friend Benny, played by a sleepy Rob Lowe, for help after her big mistake — kissing the wrong brother between Graham Phillips’ Andrew and Elias Kacavas’ Theo.
    — Nicole Fell, HollywoodReporter, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of kiss
Noun
  • Most had abrasions and small cuts, and all but the driver have since been treated and released, authorities said Monday during a press briefing.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 6 Oct. 2026
  • Machado and her daughters had abrasions on their necks, which Lew said is consistent with asphyxiation.
    — Grethel Aguila, Miami Herald, 2 Oct. 2026
Definition of abrasion

Browse Nearby Words

grays
graze
grazed
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Cite this Entry

“Graze.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/graze. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

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