breast-feed

American  

[brest-feed] / ˈbrɛstˌfid /

verb (used with object)

breast-fed, breast-feeding

1. to nurse (a baby) at the breast; suckle.

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verb (used without object)

breast-fed, breast-feeding

1. (of a baby) to nurse.

2. to nurse a baby.

breast-feed British  

verb

1. to feed (a baby) with milk from the breast; suckle

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Other Word Forms

• breast-fed adjective
• breast-feeding noun

Etymology

Origin of breast-feed

First recorded in 1900–05

Example Sentences

You’ll learn what you likely already know: limit alcohol, don’t smoke, control your weight, be physically active, breast-feed, and limit hormone therapy.

From Washington Times

Some are looking to exclusively breast-feed, while others are just hoping to pump enough to store as a backup to formula feeding, they say.

From Washington Post

It is now legal to breast-feed in public in all 50 states, but Idaho and Utah — states with high Mormon populations — were the last to pass those laws, approving them in 2018.

From Washington Post

But some women say that in practice, the Mormon Church often does not welcome women who breast-feed in public — especially without a cover — in church-owned spaces.

From Washington Post

Here’s Section 31-1-9 of the Official Code of Georgia: “The breast-feeding of a baby is an important and basic act of nurture which should be encouraged in the interests of maternal and child health. A mother may breast-feed her baby in any location where the mother and baby are otherwise authorized to be.”

From Washington Times

Related Words

• cradle
• feed
• nourish