to give food to; supply with nourishment:to feed a child.
to yield or serve as food for:This land has fed 10 generations.
to provide as food.
to furnish for consumption.
to satisfy; minister to; gratify:Poetry feeds the imagination.
to supply for maintenance or operation, as to a machine:to feed paper into a photocopier.
to provide with the necessary materials for development, maintenance, or operation:to feed a printing press with paper.
to use (land) as pasture.
[Theat. Informal.]
to supply (an actor, esp. a comedian) with lines or action, the responses to which are expected to elicit laughter.
to provide cues to (an actor).
[Chiefly Brit.]to prompt:Stand in the wings and feed them their lines.
Radio and Televisionto distribute (a local broadcast) via satellite or network.
v.i.
(esp. of animals) to take food; eat:cows feeding in a meadow; to feed well.
to be nourished or gratified; subsist:to feed on grass; to feed on thoughts of revenge.
chain feed, to pass (work) successively into a machine in such a manner that each new piece is held in place by or connected to the one before.
n.
food, esp. for farm animals, as cattle, horses or chickens.
an allowance, portion, or supply of such food.
[Informal.]a meal, esp. a lavish one.
the act of feeding.
the act or process of feeding a furnace, machine, etc.
the material, or the amount of it, so fed or supplied.
a feeding mechanism.
[Elect.]feeder (def. 10).
[Theat. Informal.]
a line spoken by one actor, the response to which by another actor is expected to cause laughter.
an actor, esp. a straight man, who provides such lines.
Radio and Televisiona local television broadcast distributed by satellite or network to a much wider audience, esp. nationwide or international.
off one's feed, [Slang.]
reluctant to eat; without appetite.
dejected; sad.
not well; ill.
bef. 950; Middle English feden, Old English fēdan; cognate with Gothic fodjan, Old Saxon fōdian. See food
feed′a•ble, adj.
1, 2.See corresponding entry in Unabridged nourish, sustain.
5.See corresponding entry in Unabridged nurture, support, encourage, bolster.
14.See corresponding entry in UnabridgedFeed,fodder,forage,provender mean food for animals. Feed is the general word:pig feed; chicken feed.Fodder is esp. applied to dry or green feed, as opposed to pasturage, fed to horses, cattle, etc.:fodder for winter feeding; Cornstalks are good fodder.Forage is food that an animal obtains (usually grass, leaves, etc.) by searching about for it:Lost cattle can usually live on forage.Provender denotes dry feed, such as hay, oats, or corn:a supply of provender in the haymow and corn cribs.
a charge or payment for professional services:a doctor's fee.
a sum paid or charged for a privilege:an admission fee.
a charge allowed by law for the service of a public officer.
Law, World History
an estate of inheritance in land, either absolute and without limitation to any particular class of heirs (fee simple) or limited to a particular class of heirs (fee tail.)
an inheritable estate in land held of a feudal lord on condition of the performing of certain services.
a territory held in fee.
a gratuity; tip.
v.t.
Lawto give a fee to.
Scottish Terms[Chiefly Scot.]to hire; employ.
Anglo-French; Old French fie, variant of fieffief. See feudal
Middle English 1250–1300
fee′less, adj.
1.See corresponding entry in Unabridged stipend, salary, emolument; honorarium.
(intransitive)to eat food: the horses feed at noon
to provide food for
to gratify; satisfy
(also intr)to supply (a machine, furnace, etc) with (the necessary materials or fuel) for its operation, or (of such materials) to flow or move forwards into a machine, etc
to cue (an actor, esp a comedian) with lines or actions
to pass a ball to (a team-mate)
(also intr; followed by on or upon)to eat or cause to eat
the act or an instance of feeding
food, esp that of animals or babies
the process of supplying a machine or furnace with a material or fuel
the quantity of material or fuel so supplied
a facility allowing web users to receive news headlines and updates on their browser from a website as soon as they are published
a performer, esp a straight man, who provides cues
a meal
Etymology: Old English fēdan; related to Old Norse fœtha to feed, Old High German fuotan, Gothic fōthjan; see food, fodderˈfeedable