grignoter
/ɡʁi.ɲɔ.te/
To munch in French is grignoter.
The verb grignoter is often used to describe eating small amounts of food or snacking between meals.
Meaning: to chew (verb)
What does it mean word for word?
The word grignoter carries the literal meaning to nibble or gnaw, similar to how a small animal might eat something.
How does it change in a sentence?
The past participle of grignoter is grignoté, which translates to munched or nibbled.
How do you pronounce it?
The word has three syllables and is pronounced /ɡʁi.ɲɔ.te/.
Did you know?
- The root verb grigner originally meant to make a grimace or a funny face with your mouth.
- In a metaphorical sense, you can grignoter your savings or your opponent's lead. This means to slowly and steadily chip away at something.
- If you are eating a snack in France, you might be participating in le grignotage, a cultural habit of 'grazing' or eating small amounts of food continuously throughout the day.
Examples in context
- Nous avons grignoté des amandes pendant le film.We snacked on almonds during the movie.
- J'aime croquer dans les carottes crues.I enjoy munching on raw carrots.
- Il grignote des chips.He is munching on chips.
- Il adore grignoter des chips devant la télé.He loves munching on chips in front of the TV.
- Arrête de grignoter du chocolat pendant le travail !Stop munching on chocolate during work!
Example conversation
Chloé and Hugo are sitting on the sofa in the living room.
- ChloéTu es en train de grignoter quoi, Hugo ?What are you munching on, Hugo?
- HugoJe grignote quelques biscuits.I'm munching on some cookies.
- ChloéTu peux m'en donner un ?Can you give me one?
- HugoBien sûr, tiens !Of course, here!
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry grignoter, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries grignoter, CC BY-SA 4.0.
