feed

1 of 2

verb

ˈfēd 

fed ˈfed  ; feeding

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

c(1)

: to insert and deposit (something) repeatedly or continuously

feed quarters into a parking meter

(2)

: to insert and deposit something into (something)

Running out to feed the meter every hour doesn't work, because the meter will not permit more than one hour for a given car.

—T. R. Reid

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

feed

2 of 2

noun

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 (such as an audio or video transmission) to a station for broadcast

also : the signal being fed

a live satellite feed

e

: an Internet service in which updates from electronic information sources (such as blogs or social media accounts) are presented in a continuous stream

an RSS feed

also : the information presented by such a service

I changed my settings so that all of my cousin's posts would show up at the top of my feed.

4

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

Synonyms

Verb

• board
• cater
• provision
• victual

Noun

• banquet
• dinner
• feast
• regale
• spread

Examples of feed in a Sentence

Verb

He was too weak to feed himself.

We feed the plants with a special fertilizer twice a week.

We fed the horses with apples, oats, and hay.

The children fed apples to the horses.

These supplies could feed a small army for a week.

He doesn't earn enough to feed a family of four.

helping to feed and clothe poor children

They used the wood to feed the fire.

The streams feed the creek.

The motor is fed by an electrical current.

Noun

There's a jam in the paper feed.

We had to cut off the main power feed.

They're showing a live satellite feed of the event.

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

The Viet America Society, which registered in 2020, claims its mission is to feed needy people, provide mental health services and promote Vietnamese culture. —Christopher Goffard, Los Angeles Times, 8 Apr. 2024

In San Diego County, escalating drug deaths fed an overall jump in the Medical Examiner’s caseload — from 3,347 deaths in 2019 to an unprecedented 4,405 cases in 2021, a 30 percent increase. —Karen Kucher, San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 Apr. 2024

Image As Israel has imposed a near-complete blockade on the territory, aid groups and United Nations officials have increasingly warned that the amount of food entering Gaza cannot feed its roughly 2.2 million people, pushing ever larger numbers of Gazans toward catastrophic hunger. —Bilal Shbair, New York Times, 7 Apr. 2024

Cocoa butter, shea butter, and calendula extract reduce inflammation and strengthen the skin barrier while also providing buttery lubrication that can make feeding more comfortable. —Macaela MacKenzie, Allure, 5 Apr. 2024

This compact appliance grinds whole beans using a conical burr grinder and then feeds them directly into a reusable filter for brewing, eliminating the need for a separate grinder. —Moriah Mason, Southern Living, 5 Apr. 2024

But those big cans of film that once fed the projector are gone. —Randy Mason, Kansas City Star, 5 Apr. 2024

Much of the hay is used to feed cows locally or in nearby states. —Tribune News Service, The Mercury News, 4 Apr. 2024

When a disaster like this happens and federal organizations such as the Coast Guard are deployed, a catering contract is typically established to feed these workers. —Danny Nguyen, Washington Post, 4 Apr. 2024

Noun

Crime often crosses jurisdictions, and police agencies from Maryland and Virginia are helping to monitor video feeds and pass along information from their areas. —Peter Hermann, Washington Post, 8 Apr. 2024

Follow the Astronomy topic to see the latest stories in your personalized feed with your free account. —Ashley Strickland, CNN, 8 Apr. 2024

But for uninterrupted views of the eclipse, NASA is offering a live telescope feed without commentary, featuring sights from across the continent—Mexico, Texas, Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, New York and Maine. —Carlyn Kranking, Smithsonian Magazine, 5 Apr. 2024

While headquartered in Mississippi, Cal-Maine Foods has breeding facilities, feed mills, pullet facilities and distribution centers nationwide, including some in the Bluegrass state. —Marina Johnson, The Courier-Journal, 4 Apr. 2024

Coming behind only vodka in variety, the spirit's recent commercial releases include gin made from peas—the byproduct of which can be used as animal feed, resulting in a spirit with a negative carbon footprint. —Eve Thomas, WIRED, 3 Apr. 2024

Meta — the parent company of Facebook, Instagram and Threads — is making good on its promise to tamp down the amount of political posts that users see on their feeds. —Rachel Treisman, NPR, 26 Mar. 2024

The West Michigan Tourist Association has compiled many live feeds from the U.P. and the western half of the mitten into a comprehensive list for curious visitors. —Kylie Martin, Detroit Free Press, 26 Mar. 2024

Business owners can choose to stream the live feeds of cameras on their commercial properties directly to the department’s Real Time Crime Center. —Cody Copeland, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 26 Mar. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Verb

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

First Known Use

Verb

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

Noun

1575, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing feed

• bottle-feed
• breast-feed
• chicken feed
• feed dog
• feed off
• feed one's face
• feed on/upon
• feed (someone) a line
• feed (someone) up
• feed the meter
• force-feed
• hand-feed
• mouth to feed
• self-feed
• spoon-feed
• stall-feed

Kids Definition

feed

1 of 2 verb

ˈfēd 

fed ˈfed  ; feeding

1

a

: to give food to

b

: to give as food

c

: eat sense 1

d

: prey entry 2 sense 1a

—used with on, upon, or off

feeds on insects

2

a

: to supply with something necessary

b

: to supply (material to be operated on) to a machine

c

: to nourish or become nourished as if by food

3

a

: to supply for use

b

: to supply (a signal) to an electronic circuit or to a transmitter for broadcast

feed

2 of 2 noun

1

: meal entry 1

especially : a large meal

2

: food for livestock

3

: a mechanism by which feeding is carried out

4

a

: a signal fed to a transmitter

b

: an Internet service in which updates from electronic information sources (as blogs or social media accounts) are presented in a continuous stream

also : the information presented by such a service

Medical Definition

feed

1 of 2 verb

ˈfēd 

fed ˈfed  ; feeding

transitive verb

1

a

: to give food to

b

: to give as food

2

: to produce or provide food for

intransitive verb

: to consume food : eat

feed

2 of 2 noun

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