grignoter
/ɡʁi.ɲɔ.te/
In French, to snack is grignoter.
The verb grignoter is the standard way to describe the habit of eating small amounts of food between regular meals.
What does it mean word for word?
The verb grignoter literally means to nibble or to gnaw.
Which one should you use?
While grignoter is the standard verb for snacking, you might also see Picorer, which is an informal way to express the idea of snacking lightly and frequently. If you want to describe the act of snacking as a noun, use le grignotage.
How does it change in a sentence?
To express that someone has snacked, use the passé composé form avoir grignoté.
How do you pronounce it?
The word is pronounced /ɡʁi.ɲɔ.te/ and has 3 syllables.
Did you know?
- While grignoter means to snack, it is also used figuratively to describe slowly taking over a territory or a lead in a race.
- If you want to describe someone eating very light, dainty amounts, you might use picorer. This verb is actually the word used to describe a bird pecking at seeds.
- Historically, le grignotage was not viewed as a casual social activity but as a lack of self-control. In traditional French dining culture, which centers on structured, substantial meals, snacking was often seen as a sign of poor dietary discipline.
Examples in context
- Le médecin m'a dit de ne pas grignoter entre les repas.My doctor told me not to snack between meals.This sentence shows how to use grignoter when discussing advice about eating between meals.Tatoeba #12522656 by zogwarg, translation #12418129 by CK
- Voulez-vous prendre une collation?Would you like to have a snack?
- Qu'est-ce que vous aimez grignoter en soirée?What do you like to snack on in the evening?
- On va se faire un en-cas à la boulangerie avant le cinéma.Let's grab a snack at the bakery before the movie.
- T'as pas une petite collation?Don't you have a little snack?
- Il est facile de grignoter un peu de chocolat.It is easy to snack on a little chocolate.
Example conversation
Lucas and Emma are studying together in the library.
- LucasJ'ai faim, je vais grignoter un peu.I'm hungry, I'm going to snack a bit.
- EmmaTu as quoi comme nourriture, Lucas ?What food do you have, Lucas?
- LucasJ'ai quelques biscuits et une pomme.I have some cookies and an apple.
- EmmaSuper, je veux grignoter avec toi !Great, I want to snack with you!
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry grignoter, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
