Grammar fix
eat up
use up time
To use a large amount of time or space that you wanted to have available.
phrasal verb
How oftenCommon
LevelB2
Used inSpeech & writing
Hear it in context
Notice where the phrase sounds natural.
Sorting through all these emails has eaten up my entire morning.
Cooking from scratch can eat up a lot of time, especially when I get home late.
Fix the pattern
One small grammar move makes it sound right.
Not: The meeting spent my whole morning.
Say: The meeting ate up my whole morning.
Only people spend time; when a thing uses up your time, say it 'ate up' your time.
Don't confuse it
Other ways to say it
Fill the time or space you have
How muchUnspecifiedLarge amount
take upState how much time or space something occupies.
eat upYou're here · Emphasizes consuming time or space you wanted available.
swallow upEmphasizes consuming a large amount of available time or space.