feed
High (B1)Neutral, used in all registers from informal to technical.
Definition
Meaning
To give food to a person, animal, or plant.
To supply something essential for operation, growth, or satisfaction; to provide with material, information, or energy.
Linguistics
Semantic Notes
The word is primarily a verb but also functions as a noun (e.g., 'baby's feed', 'data feed'). It implies a provider-recipient relationship. Can be used literally (food) or metaphorically (information, fuel, materials).
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
As a noun for animal food, 'feed' is standard in AmE (e.g., chicken feed); BrE often uses 'animal feed' or more specific terms like 'cattle cake', though 'feed' is understood. The phrase 'to breastfeed' is universal; 'to bottle-feed' is common, but BrE might also use 'give a bottle'.
Connotations
Neutral in both varieties. No significant difference in connotation.
Frequency
Equally frequent and core in both dialects.
Vocabulary
Collocations
Grammar
Valency Patterns
[SUBJ] feed [OBJ] (e.g., She feeds the dog)[SUBJ] feed [OBJ1] [OBJ2] (e.g., He feeds the children lunch)[SUBJ] feed on/off [OBJ] (e.g., The rumours feed on fear)[SUBJ] feed [OBJ] into/to [OBJ2] (e.g., Feed the results into the computer)Vocabulary
Synonyms
Strong
Neutral
Weak
Vocabulary
Antonyms
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “feed someone a line”
- “feed the fishes (be seasick)”
- “feed your face”
- “spoon-feed”
Usage
Context Usage
Business
Refers to supplying materials or data ('feed raw materials to the factory', 'RSS feed', 'news feed').
Academic
Used in biology, ecology, and computing ('organisms that feed on detritus', 'data feed').
Everyday
Most common for giving food to people, pets, babies.
Technical
In engineering, to supply material to a machine; in computing, a stream of data.
Examples
By Part of Speech
noun
British English
- The baby's next feed is due at 2 AM.
- We need to buy more feed for the horses.
- My social media feed is full of wedding photos.
American English
- The corn feed for the livestock is in the barn.
- Check the news feed for updates on the storm.
- She gave the baby a bottle feed.
verb
British English
- Could you feed the neighbour's cat while they're on holiday?
- The documentary really fed my interest in archaeology.
- You need to feed the details into the system by noon.
American English
- I'll feed the kids before we head to soccer practice.
- The conspiracy theory feeds on public distrust.
- He fed the paper into the shredder.
Examples
By CEFR Level
- I feed my dog every morning.
- Babies need to feed often.
- The sheep eat their feed.
- You shouldn't feed bread to ducks.
- Her anger fed on his silence.
- The website has a live news feed.
- The stream feeds into a larger river.
- He's just feeding you a line to get what he wants.
- A single scandal can feed the media for weeks.
- The advisor was accused of feeding sensitive information to the press.
- The artist's creativity is fed by urban decay.
- The algorithm curates your feed based on past interactions.
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Think of a baby who NEEDs to FEED.
Conceptual Metaphor
INFORMATION/ATTENTION IS FOOD (e.g., 'feed your mind', 'feed the rumour mill').
Watch out
Common Pitfalls
Translation Traps (for Russian speakers)
- Avoid using 'feed' for 'eat' (Я покормлюсь -> I will eat, not *I will feed).
- 'Feed' implies giving food to another. For self-action, use 'eat'.
- The noun 'feed' (e.g., social media feed) is often translated as 'лента'.
Common Mistakes
- *I feed always at 7 pm. (Incorrect: should be 'I eat...' or 'I have my dinner...')
- *She feeds on the restaurant. (Incorrect: should be 'She eats at...' or 'She feeds her children at...')
Practice
Quiz
Which sentence uses 'feed' correctly?
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
'Eat' is for consuming food yourself. 'Feed' is for giving food to someone or something else. You eat a sandwich, but you feed a sandwich to your child.
Yes. It can mean an act of giving food (e.g., 'the baby's last feed'), food for animals (e.g., 'cattle feed'), or a stream of data (e.g., 'an RSS feed').
It is standard as one word (breastfeed) as a verb, though 'breast-feed' with a hyphen is an accepted variant. The noun is 'breastfeeding'.
It means to use something as a source of energy, support, or ideas, often in a parasitic or dependent way. E.g., 'The debate fed off the audience's energy.' or 'Bullies feed off the fear of others.'