feed

[ feed ]

/ fid /

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See synonyms for: feed / fed / feeding on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object), fed, feed·ing.

to give food to; supply with nourishment: to feed a child.

to yield or serve as food for: This land has fed 10 generations.

to provide as food.

to furnish for consumption.

to satisfy; minister to; gratify: Poetry feeds the imagination.

to supply for maintenance or operation, as to a machine: to feed paper into a photocopier.

to provide with the necessary materials for development, maintenance, or operation: to feed a printing press with paper.

to use (land) as pasture.

Theater Informal.

to supply (an actor, especially a comedian) with lines or action, the responses to which are expected to elicit laughter.
to provide cues to (an actor).
Chiefly British. to prompt: Stand in the wings and feed them their lines.

Radio and Television. to distribute (a local broadcast) via satellite or network.

verb (used without object), fed, feed·ing.

(especially of animals) to take food; eat: cows feeding in a meadow; to feed well.

to be nourished or gratified; subsist: to feed on grass; to feed on thoughts of revenge.

noun

food, especially for farm animals, as cattle, horses or chickens.

an allowance, portion, or supply of such food.

Informal. a meal, especially a lavish one.

the act of feeding.

the act or process of feeding a furnace, machine, etc.

the material, or the amount of it, so fed or supplied.

a feeding mechanism.

Electricity. feeder (def. 10).

Theater Informal.

a line spoken by one actor, the response to which by another actor is expected to cause laughter.
an actor, especially a straight man, who provides such lines.

a local television broadcast distributed by satellite or network to a much wider audience, especially nationwide or international.

Digital Technology.

a website or application that publishes updates from social media or news-collection websites in reverse chronological order: I follow all of the latest celebrity gossip in my Twitter feed.
an XML-based web document that is updated automatically at predetermined intervals and includes descriptive titles or short descriptions and links to recent pages on a website: Subscribe to news feeds to get the latest news from around the world.

OTHER WORDS FOR feed

1, 2 nourish, sustain.

5 nurture, support, encourage, bolster.

See synonyms for feed on Thesaurus.com

OPPOSITES FOR feed

1, 2 starve.

See antonyms for feed on Thesaurus.com

QUIZ

CAN YOU ANSWER THESE COMMON GRAMMAR DEBATES?

There are grammar debates that never die; and the ones highlighted in the questions in this quiz are sure to rile everyone up once again. Do you know how to answer the questions that cause some of the greatest grammar debates?

Question 1 of 7

Which sentence is correct?

His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Idioms about feed

chain feed, to pass (work) successively into a machine in such a manner that each new piece is held in place by or connected to the one before.

off one's feed, Slang.

reluctant to eat; without appetite.
dejected; sad.
not well; ill.

Origin of feed

First recorded before 950; Middle English feden, Old English fēdan; cognate with Gothic fōdjan, Old Saxon fōdian. See food

synonym study for feed

13. Feed, fodder, forage, provender mean food for animals. Feed is the general word: pig feed; chicken feed. Fodder is especially applied to dry or green feed, as opposed to pasturage, fed to horses, cattle, etc.: fodder for winter feeding; Cornstalks are good fodder. Forage is food that an animal obtains (usually grass, leaves, etc.) by searching about for it: Lost cattle can usually live on forage. Provender denotes dry feed, such as hay, oats, or corn: a supply of provender in the haymow and corn cribs.

OTHER WORDS FROM feed

feed·a·ble, adjectiveoutfeed, verb (used with object), out·fed, out·feed·ing.re·feed, verb, re·fed, re·feed·ing.un·feed·a·ble, adjective

Words nearby feed

fed up, fee, feeb, feeble, feeble-minded, feed, Feed a cold; starve a fever, feedback, feedback loop, feed bag, feedbox

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use feed in a sentence

Either way, rooting politics out of the news feed is itself a political move.
Facebook tries to end its love-hate affair with politics|Scott Rosenberg|February 12, 2021|Axios
While cable or satellite feeds could always go out, an internet outage feels more common, and some sort of technical issue can feel almost inevitable.
Future of TV Briefing: Streaming services count on content to keep subscribers acquired in 2020|Tim Peterson|February 10, 2021|Digiday
She recalls posting a pattern for homemade masks in her community’s feed, at the start of the pandemic in March, only to receive a slew of angry comments in response.
How the Covid-19 pandemic broke Nextdoor|Rebecca Heilweil|February 9, 2021|Vox
The following are some of the best cuts from the full interview, which you can find on the show’s podcast feed.
When Madison Cawthorn Felt ‘Invisible’|Eugene Robinson|February 9, 2021|Ozy

A number of studies suggest that the more time we spend scrolling through social feeds without actively engaging, the more likely we are to experience depression and other negative effects of comparing ourselves to others.
How to have a better relationship with your tech|Amy Nordrum|February 6, 2021|MIT Technology Review
The group puts out most of its statements—on its Twitter feed, or its numerous websites—in Arabic, as opposed to Baluchi or Farsi.
The Dangerous Drug-Funded Secret War Between Iran and Pakistan|Umar Farooq|December 29, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The city protests that a beach is not a suitable place to feed the hungry.
How Dickens and Scrooge Saved Christmas|Clive Irving|December 22, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Certainly his twitter feed regarding the news of Havana and Washington speaks volumes.
Did The U.S.-Cuba Deal Help Drive A Rebel Ceasefire in Colombia?|Richard McColl|December 18, 2014|DAILY BEAST
But it is certainly possible that police officers could unknowingly feed suspects information.
How the U.S. Justice System Screws Prisoners with Disabilities|Elizabeth Picciuto|December 16, 2014|DAILY BEAST
And, according to an October post his feed, the school allegedly issued a second order of hospitalization for him.
Prof: MIT Hospitalized Me For Ferguson Tweets|Nina Strochlic|December 11, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Mrs. Jolly Robin had often wished—when she was trying to feed a rapidly-growing family—that she could hunt forp.
The Tale of Grandfather Mole|Arthur Scott Bailey
And since he was glad enough to do that, Mrs. Robin managed to feed her children all they needed.
The Tale of Grandfather Mole|Arthur Scott Bailey
Everywhere cattle were being sold for a trifle, as there was no grass upon which they could feed.
The Homesteader|Oscar Micheaux
And, old ink pot, tuck a horse blanket under my chin, and rub me down with brickbats while I feed!
The Book of Anecdotes and Budget of Fun;|Various
One little girl attempted to smell at the trees in a drawing and pretended to feed some pictorial dogs.
Children's Ways|James Sully

British Dictionary definitions for feed

feed

/ (fiːd) /

verb feeds, feeding or fed (fɛd) (mainly tr)

to give food toto feed the cat

to give as foodto feed meat to the cat

(intr) to eat foodthe horses feed at noon

to provide food forthese supplies can feed 10 million people

to provide what is necessary for the existence or development ofto feed one's imagination

to gratify; satisfyto feed one's eyes on a beautiful sight

(also intr) to supply (a machine, furnace, etc) with (the necessary materials or fuel) for its operation, or (of such materials) to flow or move forwards into a machine, etc

to use (land) as grazing

theatre informal to cue (an actor, esp a comedian) with lines or actions

sport to pass a ball to (a team-mate)

electronics to introduce (electrical energy) into a circuit, esp by means of a feeder

(also intr; foll by on or upon) to eat or cause to eat

noun

the act or an instance of feeding

food, esp that of animals or babies

the process of supplying a machine or furnace with a material or fuel

the quantity of material or fuel so supplied

computing a facility allowing web users to receive news headlines and updates on their browser from a website as soon as they are published

the rate of advance of a cutting tool in a lathe, drill, etc

a mechanism that supplies material or fuel or controls the rate of advance of a cutting tool

theatre informal a performer, esp a straight man, who provides cues

informal a meal

Derived forms of feed

feedable, adjective

Word Origin for feed

Old English fēdan; related to Old Norse fœtha to feed, Old High German fuotan, Gothic fōthjan; see food, fodder

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Idioms and Phrases with feed

feed

In addition to the idioms beginning with feed

feed one's face
feed someone a line
feed the kitty

also see:

bite the hand that feeds you
chicken feed
off one's feed
put on the feed bag

feed

OTHER WORDS FOR feed

OPPOSITES FOR feed

Idioms about feed

Origin of feed

synonym study for feed

OTHER WORDS FROM feed

Words nearby feed

Words related to feed

How to use feed in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for feed

Derived forms of feed

Word Origin for feed

Other Idioms and Phrases with feed