suckle

verb

suck·​le ˈsə-kəl How to pronounce suckle (audio)
suckled; suckling ˈsə-k(ə-)liŋ How to pronounce suckle (audio)

transitive verb

1
a
: to give milk to from the breast or udder
a mother suckling her child
b
: to nurture as if by giving milk from the breast
was suckled on pulp magazines
2
: to draw milk from the breast or udder of
lambs suckling the ewes

intransitive verb

: to draw milk from the breast or udder

Examples of suckle in a Sentence

a cat suckling her kittens the image of a mother suckling her babe is a standard artistic symbol of maternal love and nurturing
Recent Examples on the Web The time for burying our heads in the sand is long gone due to decades of inaction by legislators suckling at the trough of Big Oil. Gillian Brassil, Sacramento Bee, 5 Feb. 2024 Also, kittens of all kinds that are weaned too early may develop the habit of suckling on a blanket, usually purring and kneading with their front paws at the same time, as if the blanket were their mother. Kate Wong, Scientific American, 1 Oct. 2018 In some units, though not in Unit R, sperm whales even suckle one another’s young. Elizabeth Kolbert, The New Yorker, 4 Sep. 2023 For example, according to a study published in Journal of Small Animal Practice, licks from mom help the new pups find where to suckle in the first three weeks of life. Anna Nordseth, Discover Magazine, 26 July 2023 During one session, Amanda Wilkins, who runs the class, held a fake breast and nipple knitted out of yarn to her chest to show the mothers how to pump milk out of it using hand expression, if the baby didn’t want to suckle. Maggie Menderski, The Courier-Journal, 14 June 2023 Clémence soon leaves Nicolas and her newborn baby to stay with her sister; Francine, feeling responsible, helps care for the infant, allowing him at one point to suckle at her breast. Lynn Steger Strong, The Atlantic, 16 Dec. 2022 Renfield suckles from the same vein, but gets barely a drop of hilarity from it. A.a. Dowd, Chron, 12 Apr. 2023 His mother, Smita Umar, was herself malnourished, so Ali was born too weak to suckle. NBC News, 17 Nov. 2021

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'suckle.' 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

Middle English suklen, probably back-formation from suklyng

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of suckle was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near suckle

Cite this Entry

“Suckle.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/suckle. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

suckle

verb
suck·​le ˈsək-əl How to pronounce suckle (audio)
suckled; suckling -(ə-)liŋ How to pronounce suckle (audio)
: to give or draw milk from the breast or udder

Medical Definition

suckle

transitive verb
suck·​le ˈsək-əl How to pronounce suckle (audio)
suckled; suckling -(ə-)liŋ How to pronounce suckle (audio)
1
: to give milk to from the breast or udder
a mother suckling her child
2
: to draw milk from the breast or udder of

More from Merriam-Webster on suckle

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