force feed
noun
lubrication under pressure, as from a pump, used especially in internal-combustion engines.
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force feed
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force-feed
force-feedverb (used with object)to compel to take food, especially by means of a tube inserted into the throat.
force feed
1 Americannoun
force-feed
2
American
[fawrs-feed, fohrs-]
/ ˈfɔrsˈfid, ˈfoʊrs- /
verb (used with object)
force-fed,
force-feeding
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to compel to take food, especially by means of a tube inserted into the throat.
They force-fed the prisoners in the hunger strike.
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to compel to absorb or assimilate.
The recruits were force-fed a military attitude.
force-feed
British
verb
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to force (a person or animal) to eat or swallow food
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to force (someone) to receive opinions, propaganda, etc
noun
Etymology
Origin of force feed1
First recorded in 1915–20
Origin of force-feed2
First recorded in 1905–10
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Acknowledging Jackson’s potential, coaches “tried to force feed him a little bit when we could,” Grinch said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 25, 2023
Limiting Patterson is hard, though, as the Falcons continue to force feed their breakout playmaker with so many touches that he’s tied for the sixth-most touchdowns from scrimmage.
From New York Times ● Dec. 16, 2021
Fangio said he’s certain his fiery first-round draft pick will use the letdown as kindling for a prosperous career, but he’s not going to force feed him the ball Sunday.
From Seattle Times ● Dec. 31, 2020
Yeast also needs to consume sugar gradually—a production plant can’t force feed the cells at a faster clip.
From Slate ● Apr. 15, 2020
“You’ll have to force feed her—strong soup and eggs and cod liver oil.”
From "Cannery Row" by John Steinbeck
There was a natural tendency in Week 1 for teams that acquired elite veteran receivers to force-feed their new weapons.
From Washington Post ● Sep. 17, 2022
I text back "I'm really sorry I tried to force-feed you Weetabix".
From BBC ● Apr. 9, 2020
It’s happened my whole career where people try to force-feed you.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 2, 2019
On Sept. 6, federal officials went to federal court to seek an order allowing them to force-feed Amar.
From Seattle Times ● Nov. 30, 2018
“We’ll have to force-feed him,” Inigo said, unwrapping the chocolate-colored lump.
From "The Princess Bride" by William Goldman
It was a funny rebuke to the force-fed notion that sports champions are these locked-in super computers with scrupulous attention to detail.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 14, 2026
McDonald, who wrote the bestseller, “A Colossal Failure of Common Sense,” said tech representation in the S&P 500 is so high that retail investors are being force-fed the sector.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 4, 2026
They’re not given tools for critical thinking, but force-fed ready-made schemes for perceiving the world.
From Slate ● Oct. 18, 2025
Taylor Bradford was born in Leeds, where her mother "force-fed me books", and young Barbara had her first story published at the age of 10 in a children’s magazine.
From BBC ● Nov. 25, 2024
He made some tea, carried it upstairs, force-fed Inigo.
From "The Princess Bride" by William Goldman
Foie gras has long been a target of animal activists because producing it involves the force-feeding of birds, often ducks or geese.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 9, 2026
He said that in the wild, ducks gorge before migration and store fat in their livers and argues that "gavage" -- the process of force-feeding -- is a traditional means of animal husbandry.
From Barron's ● Sep. 28, 2026
“I try to be honest and authentic and raw and feral and committed in a moment, so that there’s an invitation of experience versus a force-feeding of something that I hope the audience should feel.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 18, 2026
The primary means by which Meta has encouraged adoption of its A.I. can be generously described as digital force-feeding.
From Slate ● Apr. 25, 2025
This poster from, the National Women's Social and Political Union in England shows the force-feeding of a British suffragette.
From "Votes for Women!" by Winifred Conkling
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