feed
- 01 A2 Elementary
v.to give food to a person, an animal, or a plant.
v.to provide someone or something with food or nutrients. Transitive, though it can be used intransitively when referring to animals eating.
Simple“Don't forget to feed the cat before you leave for work.”
In context“The charity aims to feed thousands of displaced families by establishing mobile kitchens in the most affected regions.”
- 02 B2 Upper Intermediate
v.to put something into a machine or a system so it can work.
v.to supply a machine, process, or system with the necessary materials or data for operation.
Simple“You need to feed the paper into the printer one sheet at a time.”
In context“Sensors located throughout the facility feed real-time data into a central computer that monitors energy consumption.”
- 03 B1 Intermediate
n.food that is grown or prepared specifically for farm animals or pets.
n.food given to domestic animals, especially livestock. Often uncountable when referring to bulk agricultural products.
Simple“The farmer bought a large bag of chicken feed at the market.”
In context“Rising costs of organic cattle feed have forced many local dairy farmers to increase their wholesale prices.”
Synonyms - 04 B1 Intermediate
n.a list of updates or posts on a website or social media app that changes constantly.
n.a web resource or data format used for providing users with frequently updated content. Often used to describe the main scrollable area of social media platforms.
Simple“I saw the news on my social media feed this morning.”
In context“The algorithm prioritises video content in the user's feed, often burying text-based updates from friends and family.”
- 05 B2 Upper Intermediate
n.a meal, especially a large or satisfying one.
n.an instance of eating; a meal. Frequently used in informal contexts to describe a substantial or informal gathering for food.
Simple“That was a decent feed we had at the pub last night.”
In context“After a long day of hiking, the group headed to a local diner for a proper feed.”
Usage feed into a review
“Mahua also feeds the family, is used in traditional cooking and medicine, and forms part of Gond cultural life.”
“Smartphones, laptops and social media feeds make it easy to check the latest developments between tasks, meetings or emails.”
From Middle English feden, from Old English fēdan (“to feed”), from Proto-West Germanic fōdijan, from Proto-Germanic fōdijaną (“to feed”), from Proto-Indo-European *peh₂- (“to guard, graze, feed”). Cognate with West Frisian fiede (“to nourish, feed”), Dutch voeden (“to feed”), Danish føde (“to bring forth, feed”), Swedish föda (“to bring forth, feed”), Icelandic fæða (“to feed”), and more distantly with Latin pāscō (“feed, nourish”, verb) through Indo-European. More at food, fodder.
From Middle English fede, fed, from the verb (see above). Alternatively, perhaps from Old Norse fœða (“nourishment, food”), from Proto-Germanic *fōdijaną (“to feed”), whence also Old English fēdan (“to feed”).
From fee + -ed.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.