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force-feed

[fawrs-feed, fohrs-]
verb (used with object), force-fed, force-feed·ing.
  1. to compel to take food, especially by means of a tube inserted into the throat: They force-fed the prisoners in the hunger strike.
  2. to compel to absorb or assimilate: The recruits were force-fed a military attitude.
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Origin of force-feed

First recorded in 1905–10

force feed

noun
  1. lubrication under pressure, as from a pump, used especially in internal-combustion engines.
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Origin of force feed

First recorded in 1915–20
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for force-feed

Historical Examples

  • One o' these days I'll have to force-feed you if you won't pay no mind to your own nourishment!

    Tom Swift and the Electronic Hydrolung

    Victor Appleton

British Dictionary definitions for force-feed

force-feed

verb -feeds, -feeding or -fed (tr)
  1. to force (a person or animal) to eat or swallow food
  2. to force (someone) to receive opinions, propaganda, etc
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noun force feed
  1. a method of lubrication in which a pump forces oil into the bearings of an engine, etc
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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

Word Origin and History for force-feed

v.

by 1909, from force (n.) + feed (v.). Related: Force-fed; force-feeding.

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper