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

"The rebel forces in America's latest culture war — the so-called anti-vaxxers — are often described as middle- and upper-class women who breast-feed their children, shop at Whole Foods, endlessly scour the web for vaccine-related conversation, and believe that their thinking supersedes that of their doctors," wrote Alfred Lubrano in the Philadelphia Inquirer, reporting on then-recent studies from government public health agencies.

From Salon

In Herat, one United Nations official recently found a young woman reduced to one meal of tea and bread a day, unable to breast-feed her infant, and a clinic reported a 50% increase in the treatment of malnourished children.

From Seattle Times

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

Being at home makes her son want to breast-feed all the time, she writes.

From Washington Post

Related Words

• cradle
• feed
• nourish