feed

¹feed

verb \ˈfēd\

fed \ˈfed\ feed·ing

Definition of FEED

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

3

: to produce or provide food for

4

a : satisfy, gratify

b : support, encourage

5

a (1) : to supply for use or consumption (2) : channel, route

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

Examples of FEED

1. He was too weak to feed himself.
2. We feed the plants with a special fertilizer twice a week.
3. We fed the horses with apples, oats, and hay.
4. The children fed apples to the horses.
5. These supplies could feed a small army for a week.
6. He doesn't earn enough to feed a family of four.
7. helping to feed and clothe poor children
8. They used the wood to feed the fire.
9. The streams feed the creek.
10. The motor is fed by an electrical current.

Origin of FEED

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

First Known Use: before 12th century

Related to FEED

Synonyms

board, cater, provision, victual

Antonyms

hold (back), keep (back), reserve, retain, withhold

Related Words

serve, wait; nourish, nurture, sustain; banquet, dine, feast, regale; mess; batten, fatten, fill; force-feed, overfeed, surfeit; underfeed; hand-feed, spoon-feed; refeed, reprovision

Near Antonyms

conserve, keep up, maintain, preserve, save

Rhymes with FEED

bead, Bede, bleed, brede, breed, cede, creed, deed, Gide, gleed, greed, heed, keyed, knead, kneed, lead, mead, Mead, Mede, meed, need, plead, read, rede, reed, screed, seed, Snead, speed, steed, swede, treed, tweed, weed

²feed

noun

Definition of FEED

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 (as an audio or video transmission); also : the signal being fed

4

: the action of passing a ball or puck to a team member who is in position to score

Examples of FEED

1. There's a jam in the paper feed.
2. We had to cut off the main power feed.
3. They're showing a live satellite feed of the event.

First Known Use of FEED

1576

Related to FEED

Synonyms

banquet, dinner, feast, regale, spread

Related Words

chow, mess, repast, table; blowout, carnival, festival, fete (or fête), gala, party, shindig; festivity; barbecue, clambake, cookout, fry, luau, roast; buffet, luncheon, smorgasbord

Other Broadcasting Terms

continuity, dissolve, fade, remote, residual, spike, wipe

feed

noun    (Concise Encyclopedia)

Foodstuff grown or developed for livestock and poultry to maintain the health of the animals and to increase the quality of such end products as meat, milk, or eggs. Modern feeds are derived from crops grown specifically for research or from by-products of surplus crops or foods produced for human consumption. Feeds are categorized as either concentrates (high in digestibility of nutrients but low in fibre content) or roughages (high in fibre and comparatively low in digestive nutrients). Most diets consist of a combination of feeds.