To Eat Humble Pie Meaning, Examples, Synonyms

The meaning of the idiom ‘to eat a humble pie’ is to be forced by someone to humbly apologize for any wrong activity. This idiom refers to an incident in which a person has made a mistake and his mistake is recognized by any other person or superior and now he has to make a humble apology for the mistake admitted by him. The idiom could be used in formal as well as informal scenarios. It also suggests that the person has to gulp his pride and register his mistake in front of all and humbly admit and apologize for his mistake. 

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Usage with Examples

The idiom is used in a place where one person registers the mistake of the other and makes him humbly admit his mistake. This idiom signifies that a person has to keep aside his ego when he is wrong and accept his mistake or wrong action modestly. By eating a humble pie a person learns to accept his mistake.

This idiom originated from medieval times, ‘an umbel pie’, which was a dish prepared from the internal organ of a humble animal. Thus, this idiomatic expression describes the act of humbling oneself after doing something extremely wrong.

Mentioned below are some examples of this idiomatic expression:

• The sports team of a college at a national football competition has to eat a humble pie after their unexpected defeat.
• The invigilator caught the students who were cheating in exams, they had to eat a humble pie and face serious consequences for academic misconduct.

Also read: Useful idioms with Examples, Sentences and Meaning

9+ Synonyms to “To Eat A Humble Pie”

Mentioned below are the synonyms and similar words to this idiom:

• Neglect the pride
• Eat a crow
• Apologize
• Tuck one’s tail
• Eat Dirt 
• Feel remorse for
• Be ashamed of
• Be reuful
• Lament
• Feel sorrow for
• Weep over
• Have second thoughts about
• Feel distress over
• Feel reproach oneself for

To Eat A Humble Pie Meaning Quiz

1. What phrase specifically denotes the ‘humble acceptance of a mistake made by the CEO of the company due to which the organization has to pay a huge penalty amount’?

1. To eat a humble pie
2. To eat dirt
3. To swallow the pride

Answer: a. To eat a humble pie.

This was all about the idiom ‘to eat a humble pie’ meaning and examples. Hope you understood the concept where it’s used. For more such blogs, follow Leverage Edu.