feeder

American  

[fee-der] / ˈfi dər /

noun

1. a person or thing that supplies food or feeds something.

2. a bin or boxlike device from which farm animals may eat, especially such a device designed to allow a number of chickens to feed simultaneously or to release a specific amount of feed at regular intervals.

3. a person or thing that takes food or nourishment.

4. a livestock animal that is fed an enriched diet to fatten it for market.

5. a person or device that feeds a machine, printing press, etc.

6. a tributary stream.

7. bird feeder.

8. feeder line.

9. feeder road.

10. Electricity. Also a conductor, or group of conductors, connecting primary equipment in an electric power system.

11. British. a baby's bib.

12. Theater Slang. straight man.

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adjective

1. being, functioning as, or serving as a feeder.

2. pertaining to livestock to be fattened for market.

feeder British  

/ ˈfiːdə /

noun

1. a person or thing that feeds or is fed

2. a child's feeding bottle or bib

3. agriculture a head of livestock being fattened for slaughter

4. a person or device that feeds the working material into a system or machine

5. a tributary channel, esp one that supplies a reservoir or canal with water

6. 1. a road, service, etc, that links secondary areas to the main traffic network

   2. ( as modifier )

      a feeder bus

7. 1. a transmission line connecting an aerial to a transmitter or receiver

   2. a power line for transmitting electrical power from a generating station to a distribution network

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Etymology

Origin of feeder

Middle English word dating back to 1350–1400; see origin at feed, -er ¹

Example Sentences

FeatherSnap Seed Feeder -My wife recently became enchanted with birdwatching, mostly while hiking, but even our simple backyard feeder has her captivated.

From Salon • Nov. 20, 2025

The emergency repair will shut down the 36-mile Upper Feeder pipeline — which delivers water from the Colorado River to Southern California — from Sept. 6-20, the MWD said.

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 15, 2022

PetSafe Smart Feed Automatic Pet Feeder $130 $150 14% off Doles out the right amount of food for your pet; can be controlled via smartphone or Alexa.

From The Verge • Mar. 26, 2022

You can make this task easier with the Granary Automatic Pet Feeder from Petlibro.

From Fox News • Dec. 8, 2021

“Well, they put some stuff on the road,” Sidney Feeder explained, not holding much to his joke.

From Lady Barbarina The Siege of London, An International Episode and Other Tales by James, Henry

Related Words

• grower
• laborer
• peasant
• producer
• rancher