2 VERB To feed a family or a community means to supply food for them. □ [V n] Feeding a hungry family can be expensive . □ [V n] We have the technology to feed the population of the planet.
3 VERB When an animal feeds , it eats or drinks something. □ [V ] After a few days the caterpillars stopped feeding. □ [V + on/off ] Slugs feed on decaying plant and animal material.
4 VERB When a baby feeds , or when you feed it, it drinks breast milk or milk from a bottle. □ [V ] When a baby is thirsty, it feeds more often. □ [V n] I knew absolutely nothing about handling or feeding a baby.
5 N‑VAR [usu n N ] Animal feed is food given to animals, especially farm animals. □ The grain just rotted and all they could use it for was animal feed. □ …poultry feed.
6 VERB To feed something to a place, means to supply it to that place in a steady flow. □ [V n prep] …blood vessels that feed blood to the brain. □ [V n prep] …gas fed through pipelines.
7 VERB If you feed something into a container or piece of equipment, you put it into it. □ [V n prep] She was feeding documents into a paper shredder.
8 VERB If someone feeds you false or secret information, they deliberately tell it to you. □ [V n n] He was surrounded by people who fed him ghastly lies. □ [V n + with ] At least one British officer was feeding him with classified information. [Also V n + to ]
9 VERB If you feed a plant, you add substances to it to make it grow well. □ [V n] Feed plants to encourage steady growth.
10 VERB If one thing feeds on another, it becomes stronger as a result of the other thing's existence. □ [V + on ] The drinking and the guilt fed on each other.
11 VERB To feed information into a computer means to gradually put it into it. □ [V n + into/to ] An automatic weather station feeds information on wind direction to the computer.
12 N‑COUNT A feed is a system that tells a user when an item is available to read, for example on Twitter. □ I saw the news on my Twitter feed.
13 to bite the hand that feeds you → see bite
14 mouths to feed → see mouth COLLOCATIONS feed VERB 1
feed + adverb : properly, regularly; intravenously NOUN 13
noun + feed : Instagram, news, satellite, Twitter
adjective + feed : live
feed|back /fiː dbæk/
1 N‑UNCOUNT If you get feedback on your work or progress, someone tells you how well or badly you are doing, and how you could improve. If you get good feedback you have worked or performed well. □ Continue to ask for feedback on your work. □ I was getting great feedback from my boss.
2 N‑UNCOUNT Feedback is the unpleasant high-pitched sound produced by a piece of electrical equipment when part of the signal that comes out goes back into it.
feed|er /fiː də r / (feeders )
1 ADJ [ADJ n] A feeder road, railway, or river is a smaller one that leads to a more important one.
2 N‑COUNT [usu N n] Feeder airline and railway services connect major routes and local destinations. □ …a feeder to British Airways's transatlantic destinations.
3 N‑COUNT [oft N n] A feeder school or team provides students or players for a larger or more important one.
4 N‑COUNT [oft n N ] A feeder is a container that you fill with food for birds or animals.
fee d|ing bot|tle (feeding bottles ) also feeding-bottle N‑COUNT A feeding bottle is a plastic bottle with a special rubber top through which a baby can suck milk or other liquids. [mainly BRIT ] in AM, use nursing bottle
fee d|ing ground (feeding grounds ) N‑COUNT The feeding ground of a group of animals or birds is the place where they find food and eat. □ The mud is a feeding ground for large numbers of birds.
feel ◆◆◆ /fiː l/ (feels , feeling , felt )
1 V‑LINK If you feel a particular emotion or physical sensation, you experience it. □ [V adj] I am feeling very depressed. □ [V adj] I will always feel grateful to that little guy. □ [V adj] I remember feeling sick. □ [V n] Suddenly I felt a sharp pain in my shoulder. □ [V n] You won't feel a thing. □ [V as if] I felt as if all my strength had gone. □ [V like] I felt like I was being kicked in the teeth every day.
2 V‑LINK [no cont] If you talk about how an experience or event feels , you talk about the emotions and sensations connected with it. □ [V adj] It feels good to have finished a piece of work. □ [V adj] The speed at which everything moved felt strange. □ [V as if] Within five minutes of arriving back from holiday, it feels as if I've never been away. □ [V like ] It felt like I'd had two babies instead of one.
3 V‑LINK [no cont] If you talk about how an object feels , you talk about the physical quality that you notice when you touch or hold it. For example, if something feels soft, you notice that it is soft when you touch it. □ [V adj] The metal felt smooth and cold. □ [V adj] The ten-foot oars felt heavy and awkward. □ [V like ] When the clay feels like putty, it is ready to use. ● N‑SING Feel is also a noun. □ He remembered the feel of her skin. □ Linen raincoats have a crisp, papery feel.