feed

feed1 [ fid ] (past tense and past participle fed [ fed ] ) verb ***

▸ 1 give food to

▸ 2 give supply of something

▸ 3 push something into machine

▸ 4 make a feeling stronger

▸ 5 satisfy a need

▸ + PHRASES

1. ) transitive to give food to a person or an animal:

We've been feeding the ducks on the river.

feed someone/something on something: The dogs were fed on raw meat.

feed something to someone/something: The leftover food is fed to the pigs.

properly fed: All the children will be properly fed and cared for.

a ) transitive to provide people with food so that they can live:

The money he brings home isn't enough to feed a family of five.

Food supplies are needed to feed the starving population.

b ) intransitive or transitive if a baby feeds or you feed it, the baby drinks milk:

Young babies need to feed every three to four hours.

She sat down to feed the baby.

c ) intransitive if an animal feeds, it looks for food and eats it:

The birds return here to feed at dusk.

d ) transitive to put a substance onto a plant or into the soil to make a plant grow well:

The plants should be fed and watered regularly.

feed something with something: Feed tomato plants with a general fertilizer once a week.

2. ) transitive to provide a supply of something for a person or a machine:

feed someone with something: He's been feeding the police with information about terrorist activities.

feed something into something: Information is fed into the computer and stored in a database.

feed something to someone/something: the main arteries that feed blood to the brain

3. ) transitive to push something into a machine, especially slowly and gently:

feed something into something: She saw him feeding documents into the shredder.

feed something through (something): Feed the fabric gently through the machine.

feed something with something: I fed the parking meter with my remaining change.

4. ) transitive to make a feeling stronger:

The newspapers are feeding public anxiety about contaminated food.

5. ) transitive to provide what is necessary:

feed a habit: Many young drug users turn to crime to feed their habit.

feed an addiction: Her son was using his lunch money to feed his gambling addiction.

feed your face INFORMAL

to eat a lot:

I was out working while you were feeding your face!

feed someone a line INFORMAL

to give someone false information

=> BITE1

`feed off phrasal verb transitive feed off something

1. ) if animals feed off something, they eat it

2. ) feed off or feed on to use something in order to continue to exist or become stronger:

Both sides in the conflict feed off old suspicions.

`feed on phrasal verb transitive feed on something

1. ) if an animal feeds on something, it eats it, especially as its usual food

2. ) same as FEED OFF 2:

She seemed to feed on his despair.

feed

feed 2 [ fid ] noun *

▸ 1 food given to animals

▸ 2 for making plants grow

▸ 3 part of machine

▸ 4 when you give baby milk

▸ 5 large meal

1. ) count or uncount food given to animals:

Hay is used as winter feed for the cows.

2. ) uncount a chemical substance used for making plants grow well

3. ) count the part of a machine through which you put things into the machine

4. ) count BRITISH a baby's FEEDING

5. ) singular INFORMAL OLD-FASHIONED a meal:

He looks as though he could do with a good feed.