1 B1 idiomatic informal
To eat food rapidly and greedily, often without pausing to enjoy it.
"He scarfed down three slices of pizza before the rest of us had even sat down."
separable
scarf down
B1 informal separable transitive
To eat food very quickly and often greedily.
In plain English
To eat something very fast, usually in big bites.
What does "scarf down" mean?
One main meaning — here's how to use it.
Usage tip
Primarily American English, very informal. Implies eating quickly out of hunger, lack of time, or greediness. Often used humorously or with mild disapproval. 'Scarf up' is a close variant.
Words that pair with "scarf down"
Natural word combinations native speakers use most often.
pizza lunch food sandwich dinner snacks
How to conjugate "scarf down"
The five tense forms you'll use most often.
Base
scarf down
I/you/we/they
3rd person
scarfs down
he/she/it
Past simple
scarfed down
yesterday
Past participle
scarfed down
have + pp
-ing form
scarfing down
continuous
Hear "scarf down" in the wild
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