жрать
žratʹ[ʐratʲ]
The English phrase "devour" can be translated into Russian using жрать (žratʹ). Wiktionary also lists лопать (lopatʹ).
Meaning: to eat greedily (verb)
Ways to say it
| Russian | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA |
|---|---|---|
| жрать | žratʹ | [ʐratʲ] (narrow) |
| лопать | lopatʹ | [ˈɫopətʲ] (narrow) |
These terms describe the act of eating greedily.
Which one should you use?
While жрать is vulgar and rude, лопать is more colloquial and describes the rapid, enthusiastic action of eating without being necessarily offensive. For formal or literary contexts, you may use пожирать to convey the idea of devouring.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
The default form жрать is highly vulgar slang that implies eating like an animal or eating without manners. In contrast, лопать is colloquial and пожирать is suitable for formal and literary contexts.
How does it change in a sentence?
The imperfective infinitive is жрать. In the first person singular present tense, it becomes жру. For the masculine past tense, use жрал.
How do you pronounce it?
žratʹ
Did you know?
- The vulgar word жрать is an ancient relative of the English words 'devour' and 'voracity'.
- In Russian, the word пожирать can describe not only eating but also an emotion, such as jealousy or guilt, that consumes a person from within.
- Using жрать to describe someone's eating habits is a cultural shorthand for claiming that person lacks basic human civilization or upbringing.
Examples in context
- Он поедает свою еду за минуту.He devours his food within a minute.
- Дети поедают все сладости, которые им дадут.The children devour all the sweets they are given.
- Голодный лев пожирал свою добычу.The hungry lion devoured its prey.
- Он начал жрать как не в себя.On nachal zhrat' kak ne v sebya.He started eating like there was no tomorrow.
- Хватит жрать все подряд!Khvatit zhrat' vse podryad!Stop devouring everything in sight!
- Животные начали жрать корм.Zhivotnyye nachali zhrat' korm.The animals started devouring the feed.
Example conversation
Two roommates are arguing in the kitchen about food.
- Ольга OlgaДмитрий, ты опять начал жрать мои запасы?Dmitriy, ty opyat' nachal zhrat' moi zapasy?Dmitry, are you devouring my supplies again?
- Дмитрий DmitryЯ просто очень проголодался.Ya prosto ochen' progolodalsya.I was just very hungry.
- Ольга OlgaЭто было очень некрасиво с твоей стороны.Eto bylo ochen' nekrasivo s tvoyey storony.That was very rude of you.
- Дмитрий DmitryИзвини, я больше так не буду.Izvini, ya bol'she tak ne budu.Sorry, I won't do it again.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “devour” translations and entries жрать, лопать, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries жрать, лопать, CC BY-SA 4.0.
