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
Aisha Muharrar, Bon Appetit Magazine, 2 Oct. 2025
Their texture and design mimics a nipple, so babies respond well to the familiar suckling apparatus.
—Bestreviews, Mercury News, 19 Sep. 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
The quiet, rhythmic suckling that babies do when feeding.
—Aisha Muharrar, Bon Appetit Magazine, 2 Oct. 2025
Their texture and design mimics a nipple, so babies respond well to the familiar suckling apparatus.
—Bestreviews, Mercury News, 19 Sep. 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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For its 310 students and more than 80 children from infants to toddlers, Greenland represents a second chance at school that is free from stigma and, experts say, a model for how young mothers can be reintegrated into education.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
2 Apr. 2026
-
After birth, human beings undergo infant and toddler development, moving on to child development before progressing to puberty and adolescence on the way to adulthood.—
Encyclopedia Britannica,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
2 Apr. 2026
Verb
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According to the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium, the calf stood, took early steps, and began nursing shortly after birth.—
Hanna Wickes,
Kansas City Star,
24 Mar. 2026
-
The Columbus Zoo and Aquarium said the calf stood, took early steps, and began nursing shortly after birth and is now acclimating to his surroundings in the giraffe barn.—
Hanna Wickes,
Miami Herald,
24 Mar. 2026
Noun
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After Marshall’s son was born, doctors transferred the newborn to a specialty nursery within the hospital.—
Ken Alltucker,
USA Today,
27 Mar. 2026
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So without effort, newborns will sink.—
Nathan Rott,
NPR,
27 Mar. 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
-
Number two, what a little time and compassion can do for neonates and orphans.—
Jen Reeder,
Forbes.com,
15 Jan. 2026
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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
Noun
-
The hat is the brainchild of Dali; Jean Schlumberger creates cherub pins that will be immortalized in a Picasso portrait.—
Laird Borrelli-Persson,
Vogue,
28 Mar. 2026
-
There is a photo, too, of the doll itself, a nude little cherub packaged in a box designed to look like both a manger and an illuminated Bible.—
Alexandra Schwartz,
New Yorker,
9 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Suckling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/suckling. Accessed 3 Apr. 2026.
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