feeder

noun

feed·​er ˈfē-dər 

often attributive

1

: one that feeds: such as

a

: one that fattens livestock for slaughter

b

: a device or apparatus for supplying food

2

: one that eats or takes nourishment

especially : an animal being fattened or one suitable for fattening

3

a

: one that supplies, replenishes, or connects

b

: tributary sense 1

c

: a heavy wire conductor supplying electricity at some point of an electric distribution system (as from a substation)

d

: branch

especially : a branch transportation line

e

: a road that provides access to a major artery

Synonyms of feeder

• tributary

Examples of feeder in a Sentence

a pigeon feeder holding a bag of stale bread

the lake has several feeders that have their headwaters near the Canadian border

Recent Examples on the Web

More than bottom feeders, the new rules also would wipe out investment incentives that helped spark more than 100 gigawatts of renewable capacity in the US. — Mike Feibus, Fortune, 14 Aug. 2026

Smart pet-feeder company Petlibro suffered an outage on Tuesday, giving users a harsh reminder of the risks of relying on smart devices. — Scharon Harding, ArsTechnica, 13 Aug. 2026

The 50-sheet feeder also works with multiple types of paper and different sizes batches, easily accommodating your needs. — George Yang, PC Magazine, 12 Aug. 2026

The outage began on Tuesday, with users across Reddit reporting that their smart feeders, litter boxes, and water fountains have gone offline. — Emma Roth, The Verge, 12 Aug. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing feeder

• bird-feeder
• bottom-feeder
• breast-feeder
• filter feeder
• self-feeder

Rhymes for feeder

• bleeder
• breeder
• leader
• lieder
• meader
• pleader
• reader
• reeder
• seeder
• weeder
• cheerleader
• proofreader

Kids Definition

feeder

noun

feed·​er ˈfēd-ər 

1

: a device for supplying food

bird feeder

b

: a branch (as of a river or a transportation system) that supplies or connects to another

2

: one that eats

especially : an animal being fattened or suitable for fattening