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Glite Dictionary
📰 To give bit by bit 💉 A slow IV
to drip feed

to drip feed

1 4.9
To give news or information slowly in small amounts to influence what people think
  • phrasal verb
  • /drɪp fiːd/
translation icon : filtrar información
  • Government officials sometimes drip feed journalists small updates to control the story's direction.

Examples

  • Don't drip feed the details; just tell me everything!

  • During the investigation, the police drip-fed fragments of the report to the press.

  • The company chose to drip feed product details to build anticipation before the full launch.

  • The company plans to drip feed information about the new product.

  • The company plans to drip feed information about its new product over the next few months to keep consumers interested.

  • To build anticipation for the event, they will drip feed teasers on social media leading up to the announcement.

  • The teacher decided to drip feed the students with important updates about the examination format each week.

Synonyms

to drip-feed
vsto drip feed
6.1

To give information or supplies slowly in small amounts over time

aims to shape opinion or build interest through slow release

Antonyms

to flood
127 2.1

To fill a place with more things than it can handle

to overwhelm
88 3.9

Give someone too much work or problems so they cannot cope

How Quickly

to publish
∞ 3.3
to announce
∞ 1.5
to disclose
234 4.1
to drip feed
1 4.9
to dribble
15 2.8

Surface Forms

drip feed infinitive
drip fed past
drip fed past participle
dripping feed present participle
drip feeds third person singular

Morphology

drip + feed

The meaning 'to give information slowly in small amounts' is directly derivable from combining 'drip' (a tiny drop) with 'feed' (to give). The image of feeding in drips is a straightforward metaphorical composition found cross-linguistically, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents will likely infer the MWE's meaning.

Etymology

The verb drip feed comes from that medical image: drip (a small drop) and feed (to give), so someone gets tiny amounts over time. That's why to drip feed information means 'to give information slowly', piece by piece, to build interest or control a story.