feed

 
Pronunciation: /fiːd/

verb (past and past participle fed /fɛd/)

[with object]
  • 1give food to: did you remember to feed the cat? [with two objects]: she fed him bits of biscuit
  • [no object] (especially of an animal or baby) take food; eat something: the baby will feed according to her needs
  • (feed someone/thing up) British give a person or animal large amounts of food: you look as though you need feeding up
  • provide an adequate supply of food for: the island’s simple agriculture could hardly feed its inhabitants
  • [no object] (feed on/off) derive regular nourishment from (a particular substance): the bird feeds on cliff-top vegetation figurative his powerful mind fed off political discussion
  • give fertilizer to (a plant): feed the lawn in spring and autumn
  • put fuel on (a fire).
  • encourage the growth of: I could feed my melancholy by reading Romantic poetry
  • informal satisfy (a drug habit): users who commit crime to feed their habit
  • 2supply with material or power: a radial circuit fed by a 20 amp fuse the pond is fed by a small stream
  • put into a machine: the programs are fed into the computer Kevin fed coins into the jukebox
  • insert further coins into (a meter) to extend the time for which it operates.
  • [with two objects] supply (someone) with (information, ideas, etc.): I think he is feeding his old employer commercial secrets
  • [with two objects] prompt (an actor) with (a line): you were still in the wings feeding Micky his lines
  • (in ball games) pass (the ball) to a player.
  • 3 [with object and adverbial of direction] cause to pass gradually and steadily, typically through a confined space: make holes through which to feed the cables
  • [no object] (feed through) (of a new factor or development) begin to be effective or influential; have an impact on someone or something: it could take time for higher earnings and dividends to feed through to investors

noun

  • 1an act of giving food, especially to animals or a baby, or of having food given to one: the baby’s morning feed
  • informal a meal: I gave him a big feed of rashers and eggs and mashed potatoes
  • [mass noun] food for domestic animals: the crops are grown for animal feed cow feed
  • 2a device or pipe for supplying material to a machine: a paper feed
  • the supply of raw material to a machine or device: [as modifier]: a feed pipe
  • a broadcast distributed by a satellite or network from a central source to a large number of radio or television stations: a satellite feed from Washington
  • Computing a facility for notifying the user of a blog or other frequently updated website that new content has been added: most blogs and news sites offer RSS feeds of their latest content
  • 3a line or prompt given to an actor on stage.
  • an actor who gives a feed to a fellow performer.

Phrases

off one's feed

informal having no appetite.

Phrasal Verbs

feed back

(of an electrical or other system) produce feedback.

Origin:

Old English fēdan (verb), of Germanic origin; related to Dutch voeden and food