ichidan verb, intransitive verb
be eaten; be bitten
Literal passive of 食う: to be consumed as food, or to be bitten by insects or animals.
See also: 食う
このキノコは虫に食われている。
This mushroom is being eaten by bugs.
川で魚が大きな鳥に食わ
I saw a fish being eaten by a large bird at the river.
ichidan verb, intransitive verb
be outdone; be upstaged
Figurative use: to be overshadowed or outperformed by someone else, often in a competitive or social context.
彼は後輩に食われて、チームでの存在感が薄れた。
He was upstaged by his junior and lost his presence in the team.
あの新人にベテランが食われそうだ。
The veterans look likely to be upstaged by that newcomer.