breastfeed

verb

breast·​feed ˈbrest-ˌfēd 

variants or breast-feed

breastfed or breast-fed; breastfeeding or breast-feeding; breastfeeds or breast-feeds

transitive verb

: to feed (a baby) from a mother's breast

intransitive verb

1

: to breastfeed a baby

… more women are breastfeeding than ever before …

—Lauren Sandler

2

of a baby : to feed oneself by sucking milk from a mother's breast

breastfed adjective

or breast-fed

breastfed babies

breastfeeder noun

or breast-feeder

breastfeeding noun

or breast-feeding

Synonyms of breastfeed

• nurse
• suckle

Examples of breastfeed in a Sentence

believes that all women should breast-feed their babies

Recent Examples on the Web

Photoprotective supplements may be unsafe for some groups, such as pregnant and breastfeeding people. — Kristen Fischer, Health, 22 July 2026

The president’s proposed 2027 budget would cut the WIC benefit that helps low-income mothers and toddlers buy fruits and vegetables from $52 to $13 a month for breastfeeding mothers, and from $26 to $10 dollars for young children. — Sunny Patel, STAT, 17 July 2026

As any new parent can attest, life with a new baby is disorienting, with breastfeeding essentially controlling your schedule—and getting up every two hours all night long is not for the faint of heart! — Melissa Willets, Parents, 14 July 2026

Back in February, Hewitt penned an exclusive essay for Elle and candidly shared her reason for not breastfeeding her daughter Scottie. — Hannah Sacks, PEOPLE, 13 July 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1869, in the meaning defined at transitive sense

Kids Definition

breast-feed

verb

ˈbrest-ˌfēd

breast-fed

-ˌfed

; breast-feeding

: to feed a baby from a mother's breast

Medical Definition

breastfeed

verb

breast·​feed

variants or breast-feed

ˈbrest-ˌfēd

breastfed or breast-fed; breastfeeding or breast-feeding; breastfeeds or breast-feeds

transitive verb

: to feed (a baby) from a mother's breast

intransitive verb

1

: to breastfeed a baby

2

of a baby : to feed oneself by sucking milk from a mother's breast

breastfed adjective

or breast-fed

breastfed babies

breastfeeder noun

or breast-feeder

This class for first-time breastfeeders will be from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m.

—The Reno (Nevada) Gazette-Journal

On average, infants who were exclusive breast-feeders continued to drink more as they got older …

—The Philadelphia Inquirer

breastfeeding noun

or breast-feeding