feed

A2 Topic:Actions & Processes

Also spelled feedin

US /ˈfiːd/ See IPA manual

Freq #1548

Meanings

1

verb
To give food to a person or animal.

Remember to feed the dog every evening.
2

verb
To eat, usually said of animals.

Spiders feed on insects like gnats and flies.
3

verb
To put or supply material into a machine so it can work.

Feed the paper gently into the shredder.
4

verb
To grow stronger by using something, often in a harmful way.

Cruel rumours feed on people's fears.

Verb forms

Verb forms are not available for this word yet.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 verb · to give food to a person or... nourish

3 verb · to put or supply material... feed in

4 verb · to grow stronger by using... prey

Word family

Forms fedfeedingfeedsoverfeedingunderfeedingunfed

Derived forms aquafeedbacon-fedbirdfeedboobfeedbottle-fedbottle-feedbreast-fedbreastfeedco-feedcofeedcornfedcounterfeed

Appears in

Phrases (5)

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feed a baby
to give a baby milk or solid food

Verb + noun
feed a horse
give food to a horse

Verb + noun
feed animals
to give food to animals

Verb + noun
feed the birds
to give food to birds, typically in a garden or park

Verb + noun
feed the dog
to give food to a dog

Verb + noun

Proverbs (2)

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Tongue twisters (1)

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Five Funny Farmers
Five funny farmers feeding feathered fowls.

Let air pass between the lower lip and upper teeth for /f/. The middle sound of feathered is voiced /ð/, even though its first sound is /f/.

Etymology

From Middle English feden, from Old English fēdan (“to feed”), from Proto-West Germanic *fōdijan, from Proto-Germanic *fōdijaną (“to feed”), from Proto-Indo-European *peh₂- (“to guard, graze, feed”). Cognate with West Frisian fiede (“to nourish, feed”), Dutch voeden (“to feed”), Danish føde (“to bring forth, feed”), Swedish föda (“to bring forth, feed”), Icelandic fæða (“to feed”), and more distantly with Latin pāscō (“feed, nourish”, verb) through Indo-European. More at food, fodder.

*peh₂- Proto-Indo-European feden Middle English fēdan Old English *fōdijan Proto-West Germanic *fōdijaną Proto-Germanic

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# feed

**Type:** Word
**Level:** A2
**Part of speech:** verb
**IPA (US):** /ˈfiːd/
**Frequency rank:** 1548

## Meanings
1. To give food to a person or animal.
2. To eat, usually said of animals.
3. To put or supply material into a machine so it can work.
4. To grow stronger by using something, often in a harmful way.

## Examples
- Remember to feed the dog every evening.
- Spiders feed on insects like gnats and flies.
- Feed the paper gently into the shredder.
- Cruel rumours feed on people's fears.

## Derived Forms
- aquafeed
- bacon-fed
- birdfeed
- boobfeed
- bottle-fed
- bottle-feed
- breast-fed
- breastfeed
- co-feed
- cofeed
- cornfed
- counterfeed

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: *peh₂-
- Root: feden
- Root: fēdan
- Root: *fōdijan
- Root: *fōdijaną

## Etymology
From Middle English feden, from Old English fēdan (“to feed”), from Proto-West Germanic *fōdijan, from Proto-Germanic *fōdijaną (“to feed”), from Proto-Indo-European *peh₂- (“to guard, graze, feed”). Cognate with West Frisian fiede (“to nourish, feed”), Dutch voeden (“to feed”), Danish føde (“to bring forth, feed”), Swedish föda (“to bring forth, feed”), Icelandic fæða (“to feed”), and more distantly with Latin pāscō (“feed, nourish”, verb) through Indo-European. More at food, fodder.

## AI Etymology
Feed comes from Middle English feden, from Old English fēdan (“to feed”), from Proto-West Germanic *fōdijan, from Proto-Germanic *fōdijaną (“to feed”), from Proto-Indo-European *peh₂- (“to guard, graze, feed”). Cognate with West Frisian fiede (“to nourish, feed”), Dutch voeden (“to feed”), Danish føde (“to bring forth, feed”), Swedish föda (“to bring forth, feed”), Icelandic fæða (“to feed”), and more distantly with Latin pāscō (“feed, nourish”, verb) through Indo-European. More at food, fodder. In current use, the main senses are “To give food to a person or animal” and “To eat, usually said of animals”.

## Topics
- Actions & Processes

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feed

Meanings

Verb forms

Thesaurus

Appears in

Phrases (5)

Proverbs (2)

Tongue twisters (1)

Etymology

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