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scarf down

B1 informal separable transitive
In simple words

To eat something very fast, usually in big bites.

Meanings

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."

Grammar: separable
Usage notes

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.

Commonly used with

pizza lunch food sandwich dinner snacks

Forms

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

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