underfeed

[ uhn-der-feed for 1; uhn-der-feed for 2 ]

/ ˌʌn dərˈfid for 1; ˈʌn dɛrˌfid for 2 /

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

to feed insufficiently.

to feed with fuel from beneath.

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In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…

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Origin of underfeed

First recorded in 1650–60; under- + feed

Words nearby underfeed

underendowed, underestimate, underexpose, underexposure, under false colors, underfeed, underfelt, under fire, underfired, underfloor, underflow

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

How to use underfeed in a sentence

The most complacent Britisher cannot hope to draw off the life-blood, and underfeed, and keep it up forever.
The People of the Abyss|Jack London
Underfeed your rank and file, and what sort of a fight are you going to put up against your rivals.
All Roads Lead to Calvary|Jerome K. Jerome
It is a much more serious risk to overfeed the baby than to underfeed him.
The Eugenic Marriage, Vol 2 (of 4)|W. Grant Hague
One of these boilers is equipped with a Jones underfeed stoker, and is baffled in the regular way.
Transactions of the American Society of Civil Engineers, vol. LXX, Dec. 1910|Herbert M. Wilson

A great many breeders underfeed their young stock to stop growth, which I believe to be a very grave mistake.
The Boston Terrier and All About It|Edward Axtell

British Dictionary definitions for underfeed

underfeed

verb (ˌʌndəˈfiːd) -feeds, -feeding or -fed (tr)

to give too little food to

to supply (a furnace, engine, etc) with fuel from beneath

noun (ˈʌndəˌfiːd)

an apparatus by which fuel, etc, is supplied from below

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