feed
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.
(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.
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.
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
1synonym study For feed
Other words for feed
Opposites for feed
Other words from feed
- feed·a·ble, adjective
- outfeed, 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
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 | AxiosWhile 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 | DigidayShe 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.
The following are some of the best cuts from the full interview, which you can find on the show’s podcast feed.
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 | THE DAILY BEASTThe city protests that a beach is not a suitable place to feed the hungry.
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 | THE DAILY BEASTBut 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 | THE DAILY BEASTAnd, 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 | THE DAILY BEASTMrs. 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 BaileyAnd 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 BaileyEverywhere cattle were being sold for a trifle, as there was no grass upon which they could feed.
The Homesteader | Oscar MicheauxAnd, 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; | VariousOne 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
/ (fiːd) /
to give food to: to feed the cat
to give as food: to feed meat to the cat
(intr) to eat food: the horses feed at noon
to provide food for: these supplies can feed 10 million people
to provide what is necessary for the existence or development of: to feed one's imagination
to gratify; satisfy: to 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
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
Origin of feed
1Derived forms of feed
- feedable, adjective
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
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
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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