as in infant
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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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of suckling
Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 2 Dec. 2025
The quiet, rhythmic suckling that babies do when feeding.
—Aisha Muharrar, Bon Appetit Magazine, 2 Oct. 2025
John Metcalfe, Mercury News, 24 Nov. 2025
Those people under him are suckling on his piggly-wiggly titties.
—David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 10 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for suckling
Noun
As the deck crew struggles to keep their head above water, Josh spends two days on a cochinillo, a Spanish-style suckling pig.
—Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 2 Dec. 2025
The quiet, rhythmic suckling that babies do when feeding.
—Aisha Muharrar, Bon Appetit Magazine, 2 Oct. 2025
Verb
The pups have the epicurean delight of suckling one of the highest fat-content milks in the animal kingdom.
—John Metcalfe, Mercury News, 24 Nov. 2025
Those people under him are suckling on his piggly-wiggly titties.
—David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 10 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for suckling
Recent Examples of Synonyms for suckling
Noun
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The infant’s family was all vaccinated.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
19 June 2026
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Danny and Nia are traveling with their baby and a nanny, and Kristen and Luke, a Lincoln Logs set that can only make a shooting range, are also traveling with an infant, her sister, and brother-in-law, and so much emotional baggage that Jet Blue charged them $35 million in luggage fees.—
Brian Moylan,
Vulture,
18 June 2026
Verb
-
An orphaned owl at a rescue center in New York has adopted the role of a foster parent, nursing two orphaned baby owlets and giving them parental love.—
Saman Shafiq,
USA Today,
19 June 2026
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So while Pulisic, who is nursing a calf injury, was missed, he wasn’t needed.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
19 June 2026
Noun
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Feel the age-old urge to hold the newborn out to the red morning sun and give thanks.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
19 June 2026
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Some local initiatives are also beginning to develop, including a San Francisco program backed by private donations that aims to provide additional contributions for eligible newborns.—
Rick Unser,
Forbes.com,
18 June 2026
Noun
-
The connection between the films goes far beyond the presence of a foundling.—
Richard Brody,
New Yorker,
27 Mar. 2026
-
When Heathcliff, a foundling, discovers that Cathy Earnshaw, the daughter of the impoverished Yorkshire lord who’s taken him in, has played a prank on him by putting eggs in his beds to be crushed, the boy plunges his fingers into the slippery puddle of yolk and albumen left behind.—
Alison Willmore,
Vulture,
9 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
There have been publications about nicotine transmission and neonates after blood transfusion.—
Torie Bosch,
STAT,
1 June 2026
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For studies measuring neonates’ looking time at faces, this included 667 infants, half of them boys and half of them girls.—
Lise Eliot,
The Conversation,
20 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
The chandelier above was lit, as was the candelabra, with its base of fruit and sculpted cherubs.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
9 June 2026
-
In Wood’s ritzy dressing room worthy of Elizabeth Taylor, a cherub hangs overhead, while a leap of ceramic leopards prowls the lounge.—
Zoey Goto,
Architectural Digest,
6 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Suckling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/suckling. Accessed 22 Jun. 2026.
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