suckling 1 of 2

Definition of sucklingnext

suckling

2 of 2

verb

present participle of suckle
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

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of 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
  • Her two-year-old daughter and an infant son were found in the home, unharmed, according to police.
    Nadine El-Bawab, ABC News, 14 May 2026
  • Northwestern said the device was designed especially for patients who cannot verbalize or otherwise communicate discomfort from stress, such as infants and some elderly patients.
    Adam Harrington, CBS News, 14 May 2026
Verb
  • Its appointment-only showrooms in NoHo and Midtown are each equipped with full bars, so that patrons can deliberate over their ideal garment while nursing a cocktail on tap.
    Eric Twardzik, Robb Report, 20 May 2026
  • Last week Miami’s offensive coaches had vaguely said Achane, who missed the season finale because of a shoulder injury, was nursing an injury.
    Omar Kelly, Miami Herald, 19 May 2026
Noun
  • Fathers protecting newborns Wind roars with such force the steel beams supporting the hospital’s top floors twist 4 inches.
    Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 22 May 2026
  • Hormones grow the helpless newborn into a rough-and-tumble toddler who gains height through the hormones that lengthen the bones.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 20 May 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
  • 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
  • Number two, what a little time and compassion can do for neonates and orphans.
    Jen Reeder, Forbes.com, 15 Jan. 2026
Noun
  • 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
  • With its polished English oak paneling and ornate Louis XIV-style wrought-iron balustrades presided over by a torch-wielding bronze cherub, the opulent atrium is remembered by historians as both the main thoroughfare and architectural crown jewel of the legendary liner.
    Jordan Runtagh, PEOPLE, 20 Apr. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Suckling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/suckling. Accessed 26 May. 2026.

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