- feed
- feed1 W2S1 [fi:d] v past tense and past participle fed [fed]▬▬▬▬▬▬▬1¦(give food)¦2¦(plant)¦3¦(animal/baby)¦4 well-fed/under-fed/poorly-fed5¦(computer)¦6¦(supply something)¦7¦(put something into something)¦8¦(increase emotion)¦9 feed an addiction/need etc10¦(information)¦11¦(sport)¦12 feed lines/jokes to somebody13 feed your face14¦(tv/radio)¦15 feed somebody a linePhrasal verbsfeed backfeed into somethingfeed off somethingfeed on somethingfeed somebody up▬▬▬▬▬▬▬[: Old English; Origin: fedan; related to food]1.) ¦(GIVE FOOD)¦ [T]a) to give food to a person or animal▪ Have you fed the cat?feed yourself▪ She was too weak to feed herself.feed sth to sb▪ Several children were feeding bread to the ducks.feed sb on/with sth▪ They were fed well on her mother's home cooking.b) to provide enough food for a group of people▪ groceries to feed a family of five▪ The prison is required to feed and clothe the prisoners.2.) ¦(PLANT)¦ [T]to give a special substance to a plant, which helps it grow▪ Feed the tomatoes once a week.feed sth with sth▪ Feed houseplants with a liquid fertiliser.3.) ¦(ANIMAL/BABY)¦if a baby or an animal feeds, they eat▪ Frogs generally feed at night.▪ Let your baby feed as long as she wants.4.) well-fed/under-fed/poorly-fedhaving plenty of food or not enough food▪ a well-dressed, well-fed woman5.) ¦(COMPUTER)¦ [T always + adverb/preposition]to put information into a computer over a period of timefeed sth into sth▪ Figures are fed into the computer, which then predicts the likely profit.6.) ¦(SUPPLY SOMETHING)¦ [T]to supply something, especially a liquid, gas, or electricity▪ The public baths are fed by natural springs.feed sth to sth▪ The sound is fed directly to the headphones.feed sth with sth▪ Laura crouched by the fire, feeding it with dry sticks.7.) ¦(PUT SOMETHING INTO SOMETHING)¦ [T]to put something into something else, especially gradually and through a small holefeed sth into/through sth▪ A tube was fed down the patient's throat into her stomach.feed sth into sth▪ She fed her last two coins into the machine for a cup of coffee.▪ Shelton fed the electricity meter .8.) ¦(INCREASE EMOTION)¦ [T]to increase the strength of an emotion, desire etc▪ Her depression grew, fed by her bitter experiences.9.) feed an addiction/need etcto satisfy a strong need, such as a need for a drug▪ He committed both crimes to feed his addiction to heroin.10.)¦(INFORMATION)¦ [T]to give someone information or ideas over a period timefeed sb with sth▪ She feeds the media with stories, which is a way of getting free advertising.feed sth to sb▪ US intelligence had been feeding false information to a KGB agent.11.) ¦(SPORT)¦ [T]to throw or hit a ball to someone else on your team, especially so that they can make a pointfeed sth to sb▪ Johnson fed the ball to Kyman, who scored.12.) feed lines/jokes to sbto say things to another performer so that they can make jokes13.) feed your face [i]informalto eat a lot of food= ↑stuff yourself14.) ¦(TV/RADIO)¦ [T]to send a television or radio programme somewhere so that it can be broadcast15.) feed sb a line informalto tell someone something which is not true, so that they will do what you wantfeed back phr vto give advice or criticism to someone about something they have donefeed back on▪ We're just waiting for the manager to feed back on it.feed sth<=>back (to sb)▪ I am grateful to all those who fed back their comments.▪ They feed back to the government the reactions of the people affected.feed into [feed into sth] phr vto have an effect on something or help to make it happen▪ The influence of Italian designer fashion feeds into sports fashion.feed off [feed off sth] phr v1.) if an animal feeds off something, it gets food from it▪ birds that feed off the seeds from trees2.) to use something to increase, become stronger, or succeed - sometimes used to show disapproval▪ fad diets that feed off our desire to be thinfeed on [feed on sth] phr v1.) if an animal feeds on a particular food, it usually eats that food▪ Owls feed on mice and other small animals.2.) if a feeling or process feeds on something, it becomes stronger because of it▪ Prejudice feeds on ignorance.feed up [feed sb up] phr vto give someone a lot of food to make them more healthyAmerican Equivalent: fatten upfeed 2feed2 n▬▬▬▬▬▬▬1¦(baby)¦2¦(animal food)¦3¦(supply)¦4¦(tv/radio/computer)¦5¦(meal)¦▬▬▬▬▬▬▬1.) ¦(BABY)¦ BrEone of the times when you give milk to a small baby▪ the two a.m. feed2.) ¦(ANIMAL FOOD)¦[U]food for animals▪ fish feed3.) ¦(SUPPLY)¦a tube or piece of equipment which supplies a machine with something, especially ↑fuel4.) ¦(TV/RADIO/COMPUTER)¦ [U and C]when a television or radio signal, computer information etc is sent somewhere, or the connection that is used to do this▪ a live satellite feed from the space station5.) ¦(MEAL)¦ old-fashioned a big meal
Dictionary of contemporary English. 2013.