feed

1 of 2

verb

fed ˈfed How to pronounce feed (audio) ; feeding

transitive verb

1
a
: to give food to
b
: to give as food
2
a
: to furnish something essential to the development, sustenance, maintenance, or operation of
reading feeds the mind
b
: to supply (material to be operated on) to a machine
c(1)
: to insert and deposit (something) repeatedly or continuously
feed quarters into a parking meter
(2)
: to insert and deposit something into (something)
Running out to feed the meter every hour doesn't work, because the meter will not permit more than one hour for a given car.T. R. Reid
3
: to produce or provide food for
4
5
a(1)
: to supply for use or consumption
(2)
b(1)
: to supply (a signal) to an electronic circuit
(2)
: to send (as by wire or satellite) to a transmitting station for broadcast
6
: to supply (a fellow actor) with cues and situations that make a role more effective
7
: to pass a ball or puck to (a teammate) especially for a shot at the goal

intransitive verb

1
a
: to consume food : eat
b
: prey
used with on, upon, or off
2
: to become nourished or satisfied or sustained as if by food
3
a
: to become channeled or directed
b
: to move into a machine or opening in order to be used or processed

feed

2 of 2

noun

1
a
: an act of eating
b
: meal
especially : a large meal
2
a
: food for livestock
specifically : a mixture or preparation for feeding livestock
b
: the amount given at each feeding
3
a
: material supplied (as to a furnace or machine)
b
: a mechanism by which the action of feeding is effected
c
: the motion or process of carrying forward the material to be operated upon (as in a machine)
d
: the act or process of feeding a signal (such as an audio or video transmission) to a station for broadcast
also : the signal being fed
a live satellite feed
e
: an Internet service in which updates from electronic information sources (such as blogs or social media accounts) are presented in a continuous stream
an RSS feed
also : the information presented by such a service
I changed my settings so that all of my cousin's posts would show up at the top of my feed.
4
: the action of passing a ball or puck to a team member who is in position to score

Examples of feed in a Sentence

Verb He was too weak to feed himself. We feed the plants with a special fertilizer twice a week. We fed the horses with apples, oats, and hay. The children fed apples to the horses. These supplies could feed a small army for a week. He doesn't earn enough to feed a family of four. helping to feed and clothe poor children They used the wood to feed the fire. The streams feed the creek. The motor is fed by an electrical current. Noun There's a jam in the paper feed. We had to cut off the main power feed. They're showing a live satellite feed of the event.
Recent Examples on the Web
Verb
The Aztecs had the ball to open the second half and fed LeDee for a left-handed jump hook. Mark Zeigler, San Diego Union-Tribune, 15 Mar. 2024 De Vega says that the crew is being fed – some have even reported weight gain – and there’s no indication of violence. Scott McLean, CNN, 14 Mar. 2024 The best postpartum belly wraps provide 360-degree support to help the abdominal wall recover, stabilize your core, back, and ligaments, and assist with correct posture, which is a big bonus when breastfeeding or bottle feeding a baby. Maya Polton, Parents, 14 Mar. 2024 How: As the water temperature ticks up, bluegills will start to feed heavily in preparation for the spawn. Joe Cermele, Field & Stream, 14 Mar. 2024 It's rumored that British tabloids don't usually publish paparazzi photos of the royals without express permission, so some suspected that this image was fed to the outlet by royal staff and that it, too, had been doctored. Kathleen Walsh, Glamour, 14 Mar. 2024 Vietnam's government has approved a plan to strengthen the Mekong region's agricultural economy, which produces about half the country's rice and is critical to feed other countries, like Indonesia and Philippines, too. Aniruddha Ghosal, Quartz, 13 Mar. 2024 Related Articles During Ramadan, feeding a fasting person or hungry people is highly recommended. Laila El-Haddad, The Mercury News, 13 Mar. 2024 If the bags remain on the plant, new bagworms will hatch out and resume the feeding their parents started. Chris McKeown, The Enquirer, 2 Mar. 2024
Noun
Israel has been under increasing pressure to allow more aid into Gaza, especially in the Palestinian territory's isolated north where hunger is at its worst, with many people reduced to eating animal feed and weeds. Democrat-Gazette Staff From Wire Reports, arkansasonline.com, 16 Mar. 2024 Separately, the mother-daughter duo spotlighted the looks on their feeds. Brendan Le, Peoplemag, 15 Mar. 2024 SpaceX had high expectations for the third go-around, which commentators on a live feed Thursday noted far surpassed what the company had achieved in previous attempts. Eric Lagatta, USA TODAY, 14 Mar. 2024 Following its closed beta launch in 2023, Bluesky has gradually added new features, such as custom feeds and the ability to host servers, with more on the way. Emma Roth, The Verge, 12 Mar. 2024 Their progression has only been hastened by the deluge of happy hair system recipients that have started to flood our social media feeds. John Ortved, Robb Report, 12 Mar. 2024 Their larvae feed on decaying vegetation and plant roots in soil. The Arizona Republic, 12 Mar. 2024 In reply, a video feed appears, revealing a robot arm over a bin containing various items—a pair of socks, a tube of chips, and an apple among them. Will Knight, WIRED, 11 Mar. 2024 Olivia Rodrigo songs might not be on my feed anymore, but a prolific number of fancams from her current concert tour are all over my FYP. Reece Rogers, WIRED, 2 Mar. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'feed.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Middle English feden, from Old English fēdan; akin to Old English fōda food — more at food

First Known Use

Verb

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a

Noun

1575, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of feed was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near feed

Cite this Entry

“Feed.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/feed. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

feed

1 of 2 verb
fed ˈfed How to pronounce feed (audio) ; feeding
1
a
: to give food to
b
: to give as food
d
: prey entry 2 sense 1a
used with on, upon, or off
feeds on insects
2
a
: to supply with something necessary
b
: to supply (material to be operated on) to a machine
c
: to nourish or become nourished as if by food
3
a
: to supply for use
b
: to supply (a signal) to an electronic circuit or to a transmitter for broadcast

feed

2 of 2 noun
1
: meal entry 1
especially : a large meal
2
: food for livestock
3
: a mechanism by which feeding is carried out
4
a
: a signal fed to a transmitter
b
: an Internet service in which updates from electronic information sources (as blogs or social media accounts) are presented in a continuous stream
also : the information presented by such a service

Medical Definition

feed

1 of 2 verb
fed ˈfed How to pronounce feed (audio) ; feeding

transitive verb

1
a
: to give food to
b
: to give as food
2
: to produce or provide food for

intransitive verb

: to consume food : eat

feed

2 of 2 noun
1
a
: an act of eating
b
: meal
especially : a large meal
2
a
: food for livestock
specifically : a mixture or preparation for feeding livestock
b
: the amount given at each feeding

More from Merriam-Webster on feed

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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