as in nursing
to give milk to from the breast
the image of a mother suckling her babe is a standard artistic symbol of maternal love and nurturing
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in infant
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of suckling
A.a. Dowd, Rolling Stone, 17 Apr. 2025
Prices: Dinner appetizers $18 to $32, main courses $28 to $78, large-format dishes $170 to $600 (for whole suckling pig).
—Tom Sietsema, Washington Post, 11 July 2024
Benjamin Kemper, Saveur, 13 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for suckling
Verb
All that gnashing and suckling is old hat — as old as the burgundy fedora Jordan slips on when playing the more jovial of these brothers in arms.
—A.a. Dowd, Rolling Stone, 17 Apr. 2025
Prices: Dinner appetizers $18 to $32, main courses $28 to $78, large-format dishes $170 to $600 (for whole suckling pig).
—Tom Sietsema, Washington Post, 11 July 2024
Noun
The best rooms look out over the sea and the rugged peaks of Cavall Bernat—a view shared by the rooftop restaurant, where local meats star in dishes like suckling porc negre and pastry stuffed with guinea fowl in almond sauce.
—Benjamin Kemper, Saveur, 13 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for suckling
Recent Examples of Synonyms for suckling
Verb
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Before the end of the third quarter, Jackson was out of the game, nursing a hamstring according to the broadcast, and Cooper Rush, the former Dallas Cowboys’ backup, finished the game.—
Blair Kerkhoff,
Kansas City Star,
28 Sep. 2025
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Safety Nick Emmanwori, who's dealing with an ankle injury, is listed as doubtful, and running back Zach Charbonnet, who's nursing a foot injury, is listed as questionable.—
Anne Erickson,
MSNBC Newsweek,
25 Sep. 2025
Noun
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The endangered infant, who hasn’t been named yet, was born with a head and body covered in orange fur, which will gradually darken to jet black within a year, as is the case with all François langurs.—
Brian Anthony Hernandez,
PEOPLE,
27 Sep. 2025
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The reenactment shows a caretaker roughly handling the infant doll, placing him on the mattress with obvious impact and then flipping him on his stomach and pressing on his back and head.—
Jim Riccioli,
jsonline.com,
26 Sep. 2025
Noun
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An autopsy to determine the newborn's cause of death proved inconclusive, and the medical examiner's report said that more testing would be required.—
Chris Spargo,
PEOPLE,
27 Sep. 2025
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From joy to detention Just one day after Mario Monteverde left the maternity hospital in Buffalo, New York, with his wife and their premature newborn, he was detained by immigration authorities, despite holding full TPS extension approval, with his protection officially confirmed in April.—
Syra Ortiz Blanes,
Miami Herald,
27 Sep. 2025
Noun
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There were grim meetings with every male foundling who landed on the streets or showed up at city hospitals.—
Mara Bovsun,
New York Daily News,
3 May 2025
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But Mufasa's welcome is no kinder than the reception Dickens doled out to the foundlings scattered throughout his novels.—
Tom Gliatto,
People.com,
20 Dec. 2024
Noun
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Among these studies, 12 post-approval studies included 3,646 neonates, newborns, infants and children.—
Dr. Jade Cobern,
ABC News,
18 Sep. 2025
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The scientists also found several neonates and newborns in the area, Pardo-Pérez tells Flora Lichtman of Science Friday, which suggests that the site served as a nursery for the prehistoric animals.—
Sara Hashemi,
Smithsonian Magazine,
8 July 2025
Noun
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Out went the restrained décor of previous administrations; in came gilt cherubs, Rococo mirrors, and medallions gleaming with theatrical flair.—
Lilah Ramzi,
Vogue,
3 Aug. 2025
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Trump has also made significant decorative changes to the Oval Office, incorporating gold accents, cherubs and other ornate touches, and has installed large flagpoles to display American flags on both the north and south lawns.—
Gabe Whisnant,
MSNBC Newsweek,
31 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Suckling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/suckling. Accessed 4 Oct. 2025.
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