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Definition of feeder
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
3a : one that supplies, replenishes, or connects
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
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Synonyms & Antonyms for feeder
Synonyms
affluent, bayou, branch, tributary
Antonyms
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Examples of feeder in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
But no other nation can match the reach and depth of the American softball feeder system. — Rachel Bachman, WSJ, "Why U.S. Softball Wants to Make Its Opponents Better," 4 June 2018 At the time, the Nationwide Tour was the primary feeder system for the PGA Tour. — Jeff Duncan, NOLA.com, "After 15 years of trying, Covington golf pro Michael Arnaud finally wins big," 24 May 2018 Sunnyvale is reasonably close to the San Francisco and San Jose airports, and less than 10 miles from that redoubtable tech feeder, Stanford University. — Wendy Lee, San Francisco Chronicle, "The scramble for Sunnyvale: Tech companies in ‘arms race’ for office space," 12 May 2018 Some of it gets consumed by fish and other animals swimming around in the water column, but there’s generally enough left over for some of it to fall down to the seafloor and nourish bottom feeders, such as clams and other shellfish. — Chelsea Harvey, Scientific American, "Arctic Sea Ice Is Getting Younger. Here Is Why That Is a Problem.," 11 May 2018 And even pet tech costs took a leap, as evidenced by the plethora of activity trackers, smart feeders, and video monitors on the market. — Sunset, "Americans Are Spending More on Pets Than Ever Before," 22 Jan. 2018 Cyclists used Highway 90 and the Interstate 10 feeder road heading east. — Karen Zurawski, Houston Chronicle, "Triathlon comes home to Katy with new features," 10 July 2018 Emoni went to Clague Middle School, which, is a feeder to either Ann Arbor Huron or Skyline for high school. — Perry A. Farrell, Detroit Free Press, "Why top basketball prospect Emoni Bates will attend Ypsilanti Lincoln," 7 July 2018 Columbia Business School remains a feeder to the financial sector, for instance. — Pat Minczeski, WSJ, "Why Banks Are Losing the Battle for M.B.A. Talent," 6 June 2018These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'feeder.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for feeder
feeder
noun
English Language Learners Definition of feeder
: a device for supplying food to animals
: a person who supplies food for animals
: a road, railway, etc., that connects to a larger road, railway, etc.
See the full definition for feeder in the English Language Learners Dictionary
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