- feed
- [[t]fid[/t]]v. fed, feed•ing, n.1) to give food to; supply with nourishment2) to yield or serve as food for:This land has fed ten generations[/ex]3) to provide as food:to feed breadcrumbs to pigeons[/ex]4) to furnish for consumption5) to satisfy; minister to; gratify6) to supply, as for maintenance or operation:to feed a printing press with paper[/ex]7) to flow into or merge with so as to form or sustain:streams that feed a river[/ex]8) sbz infa) to provide lines, cues, or actions to (a performer)b) sbz to supply (lines, cues, or actions) to a performer9) rtv to distribute (a local radio or television broadcast) via satellite or network10) ahb. (esp. of animals) to take food; eat11) to be nourished or gratified; subsist:to feed on fruit[/ex]12) to flow, lead, or provide access:The local roads feed into a state highway[/ex]13) ahb. food, esp. for farm animals14) an allowance, portion, or supply of such food15) a meal, esp. a lavish one16) the act of feeding17) the act or process of feeding a furnace, machine, etc18) the material, or the amount of it, so fed19) a feeding mechanism20) rtv a local radio or television broadcast distributed by satellite or network to a much wider audience, esp. nationwide or international•Etymology: bef. 950; ME feden, OE fēdan See food feed′a•ble, adj. syn: feed, fodder, forage, provender mean food for animals. feed is the general word; however, it most often applies to grain: chicken feed. fodder is applied to coarse feed that is fed to livestock: Cornstalks are good fodder. forage is feed that an animal obtains (usu. grass, leaves, etc.) by grazing or searching about for it: Lost cattle can usually live on forage. provender denotes dry feed for livestock, such as hay, oats, or corn: a supply of provender in the haymow.
From formal English to slang. 2014.