Grasseater

noun, slang

noun, slang ·Moderate ·College level

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    A white person, especially an Irishman. ethnic, offensive, slang, slur

    "When the "green mouths," as the impoverished Irish grasseaters were dubbed, entered the United States, they brought cholera, consumption, and typhus with them."

  2. 2
    Alternative spelling of grass-eater (type of police officer) alt-of, alternative, slang
  3. 3
    A herbivore or similar grazing animal.

    "And most of those grasseaters like horses, ox, camels, and llamas had shown early appearance on earth and since its early Cainozoic."

  4. 4
    A vegetarian or vegan. derogatory

    "Founded in 1898, when vegetarians were regarded as “grasseaters,” this restaurant has more than proved its staying power."

Example

More examples

"When the "green mouths," as the impoverished Irish grasseaters were dubbed, entered the United States, they brought cholera, consumption, and typhus with them."

Etymology

From grass + eater. Originally in reference to the Irish potato famine, implying that grass was all the Irish had left in their diet.

Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.