feeding

noun

feed·​ing ˈfē-diŋ 

1

: the act or process of eating or being fed

For a while zoos tried to control feeding by providing vending machines with pellets, but most have now banned it entirely.

—Phillip T. Robinson

—often used before another noun

a feeding schedule

feeding behavior

2

: an instance of feeding

two a.m. feedings

ready for a feeding

Examples of feeding in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The zoo discussed the feeding donation program in a Facebook post on July 31, garnering dozens of reactions, including many who pushed back on the initiative. —Taylor Ardrey, USA Today, 4 Aug. 2025

This type of worm, once common during the Cambrian period, would use these teeth as a specialized feeding device, scraping the seafloor or raking debris into its digestive tract. —John Leos, AZCentral.com, 1 Aug. 2025

This is also the train of thought behind allowing the use of hunting dogs and the killing of bears at game feeding stations. —Owen Clarke, Outside Online, 25 July 2025

Groups didn’t record any feeding behavior and saw that the whale didn’t have a dorsal fin, the group said. —Paloma Chavez, Sacbee.com, 25 July 2025

Word History

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing feeding

• breast-feeding
• care and feeding
• feeding frenzy
• feeding ground
• feeding tube

Rhymes for feeding

• beading
• bleeding
• breeding
• ceding
• heeding
• kneading
• leading
• needing
• pleading
• reding
• seeding
• speeding