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🍽️ To give food 🔗 To supply 🦁 To eat 📱 Content stream 🐄 Animal food 🌊 To flow into
to feed

to feed

726 1.8
To give information and help to a system, idea or feeling
  • verb
  • /fiːd/
translation icon : alimentar
  • The Future of Food section explores eight key questions focusing on approaches to feeding the world's population.
  • feed back
  • feed information
  • feed data

And so it just feeds this this growth.

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Examples

  • These are the people that feed the system.

  • So these things are there to feed confidence.

  • Send that back to the people who who feed you information.

  • So that means if you continuously feed your mind with these things,

    Evan Carmichael

  • I think for me, it's almost like the things that like feed my my creativity.

  • We're feeding you tone and bars.

    The China Syndrome (1979)

  • Experiences in high school fed his desire to pursue a lifetime career in technology.

    Academic text (2011)

  • The FUTURE OF FOOD app provides fascinating, in-depth information about "how to feed our growing planet."

    Academic text (2015)

  • Additionally, these practices feed into an already established sense of insecurity and alienation from the government.

    Academic text (2008)

  • The new program will feed valuable data to the research team for their analysis.

Synonyms

to feed into
vsto feed
23 4.1

To give information or ideas that change something

covers direct provision rather than indirect contribution
to feed in
vsto feed
  • Specialized
1 3.8

To keep putting something into a machine or system so it can work

is used for general supply rather than only continuous input
to drip feed
vsto feed
1 4.9

To give news or information slowly in small amounts to influence what people think

is broader, meaning supply generally without slow deliberate pacing
to infeed
vsto feed
  • Specialized
7.7

To feed material or data into a machine

applies more broadly to supplying people, feelings, or systems

Antonyms

to withhold
210 5.1

Refuse to give something someone wants or needs

to deprive
198 3.2

To take something important away from someone or stop them having it

Idioms

to feed the troll
  • Slang
1 8.3

To reply to someone online who tries to start arguments, making them continue

feed me that bullplop
  • Offensive
9.9

To say lies or nonsense to trick someone

off one's feed
  • Informal
9.9

Feeling unwell and not wanting to eat or do usual things

off one's feed
  • Texting
9.9

Not checking social media feeds or posts for a time

Phrasal Verbs

to feed on
69 2.9

To eat something or get strength and ideas from it

to feed off
34 3.7

To take energy from something, like food or attention

to feed into
23 4.1

To give information or ideas that change something

to force-feed
  • Offensive
10 6.5

To make someone eat by using physical strength when they refuse

to feed off each other
4 5.1

To get energy or ideas from each other's actions

to feed the meter
4 3.2

To put money into a parking meter to pay for parking

to feed the duck
3 1.0

To give food to ducks at a park or pond for fun

to feed the fire
2 4.8

To put extra fuel on a fire or make a disagreement worse

to feed in
  • Specialized
1 3.8

To keep putting something into a machine or system so it can work

to drip feed
1 4.9

To give news or information slowly in small amounts to influence what people think

to drip-feed
6.1

To give information or supplies slowly in small amounts over time

to feed back
  • Specialized
3.5

To send data again to a computer program for more analysis

to feed back
3.6

To give comments or information about something to the people involved

to feed upon
6.0

To get ideas or energy from something to help your work

Compounds

feed grain
  • Specialized
1 3.3

Seeds of crops like corn or barley that farmers grow to feed animals

chicken feed
1 2.8

Food given to chickens, usually dry mash

chicken feed
  • Informal
1 6.8

A very small amount of money that is not important

corn gluten feed
  • Specialized
1 4.5

A coarse food for farm animals like cattle made from parts left after making corn products

bird feed
1.4

Food for birds, usually a mix of seeds and grains

creep feed
  • Specialized
6.8

Special food given to young animals like piglets or calves that adults cannot reach

drip feed
  • Specialized
4.6

A way of giving liquid into a vein one drop at a time

feed steamer
  • Archaic
9.9

A machine that uses steam to soften and warm animal feed before giving it to animals

feed bunk
  • Jargon
6.3

A long raised container that holds food for cows

force-feed lubricating system
  • Specialized
6.5

A system that uses a pump to push oil under pressure into an engine's moving parts

line feed
  • Specialized
6.3

A character that moves text to the start of the next line

paper feed
4.1

A part that automatically pushes sheets of paper into a printer

pressure feed
  • Specialized
5.4

A system that uses a pump to push oil to engine bearings

pressure-feed lubricating system
  • Specialized
7.8

A system where a pump pushes oil under pressure to engine bearings to stop metal parts rubbing

How Much

to saturate
55 5.2
to inundate
40 6.8
flood
75 2.4
to feed
726 1.8
to supply
400 1.6

Surface Forms

feed infinitive
feeding present participle
feeds third person singular
fed past
fed past participle

Etymology

The verb feed kept the basic idea of 'giving', so a helpful way to remember uses like 'feed information' is to think of feeding a machine or feeling — you supply it with what it needs.