feed

/fiːd/ (bre, ipa) · /fiːd/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈfēd/ (ame, mw)

feed — verb

  • feedpresent simple I / you / we / they
  • feedshe / she / it
  • fedpast simple
  • feeding-ing form

1. to make food available for a person or creature to eat, usually by putting it wh

1.動詞及物A2
釋義

to make food available for a person or creature to eat, usually by putting it where they can reach it.

例句

Manuela feeds her cat twice a day, in the morning and the evening.

feed + pet + frequency pattern

The nurse had to feed the elderly patient who could not use his hands.

同義詞
  • nourish

    more formal; focuses on providing nutrients for growth or health

  • provide for

    broader; can include non-food needs such as shelter or care

反義詞
  • starve

    to give no food to a person or animal

文法句型

feed + person/animal

用法筆記

The direct object is the person or animal receiving food, not the food itself. Compare with 'eat' where the subject consumes food on its own.

常見錯誤

❌I fed the chicken for dinner' (meaning I ate chicken)
✅I fed the chicken some grains
💡'feed' means giving food to someone, not eating the food yourself.

2. when a young child or creature drinks milk or takes in food through its mouth, e

2.動詞不及物A2
釋義

when a young child or creature drinks milk or takes in food through its mouth, especially from its mother or a bottle.

例句

The newborn baby feeds every three hours throughout the day and night.

intransitive: subject is baby, pattern is feed + time interval

Linh's puppy fed hungrily from its mother for several minutes.

同義詞
  • suckle

    specifically for drinking milk from a mother's breast or teat; less common in everyday speech

  • nurse

    used for human babies taking milk from the mother

文法句型

feed (on) + milk/food

用法筆記

Intransitive only — the subject is the baby or animal taking in food. Do not use a direct object for the food itself. Distinguish from sense 1 where the subject gives food to another.

常見錯誤

❌The baby fed the milk
✅The baby fed' or 'The baby fed on the milk
💡in this sense, do not put the food as a direct object.

3. to be sufficient in amount to supply meals for a certain set of individuals or c

3.動詞及物B1
釋義

to be sufficient in amount to supply meals for a certain set of individuals or creatures.

例句

This large pot of soup can feed a family of six for the whole week.

feed + quantity + people: capacity pattern with 'can'

The rice and beans will feed the workers for at least a month.

同義詞
  • sustain

    more formal; includes keeping someone alive over time, not just satisfying hunger in one meal

文法句型

feed + number/count of people or animals

用法筆記

The subject is the food itself, not a person. Often paired with 'can' or 'will' to talk about capacity or sufficiency.

常見錯誤

❌The family fed the soup' (meaning the soup was enough)
✅The soup fed the family
💡in this sense, the food is the subject, not the object.

4. to raise or provide sufficient nourishment so that a person, household, or commu

4.動詞及物B1
釋義

to raise or provide sufficient nourishment so that a person, household, or community does not go hungry over time.

例句

The small family farm feeds the entire village with vegetables and fresh milk.

subject is source, pattern: [source] + feed + [group] + with + [produce]

This region's rice paddies feed millions of people every single year.

同義詞
  • support

    broader meaning; can include providing money, housing, or other necessities beyond food

文法句型

feed + group/population

用法筆記

The subject is a source of food — a farm, region, ocean, or system. Often used in discussions of agriculture, sustainability, and population size. Distinguish from sense 3 (single meal sufficiency) where the focus is on one dish or batch being enough for one occasion.

常見錯誤

❌The country feeds on its people
✅The country feeds its people
💡'feed on' means something different (sense 2, intransitive). In sense 4, the subject produces the food.

5. to add nutrients or fertilizer to a plant so that it grows well and stays health

5.動詞及物B1
釋義

to add nutrients or fertilizer to a plant so that it grows well and stays healthy.

例句

Élise feeds her roses with liquid fertilizer once a month in spring.

feed + [plant] + with + [substance]: standard pattern

You should feed tomato plants every two weeks to get a good harvest.

同義詞
  • fertilize

    more technical; focuses on adding chemical or organic nutrients to support plant growth

文法句型

feed + plant + with + substance

用法筆記

The object must be the plant, not the soil. Use 'with' to introduce the substance applied. Over-feeding can harm plants — this is a common warning in gardening advice.

常見錯誤

❌I fed the soil
✅I fed the plants' or 'I fed the plants with fertilizer
💡the object is the plant, not the growing medium.

6. to put or supply something, such as information, material, or energy, into a mac

6.動詞及物 / 不及物B2
釋義

to put or supply something, such as information, material, or energy, into a machine, system, or process in a steady or repeated way.

例句

Eri fed the documents into the scanner one page at a time.

feed + [item] + into + [machine]: standard pattern

The sales data is fed directly into the company's main computer system.

passive: be fed + into + system

同義詞
  • supply

    broader; does not suggest continuous or repeated action like 'feed' does

  • input

    used primarily in computing and technology contexts

文法句型

feed + material + into + machine/system

be fed + into + machine/system

用法筆記

Frequently used in the passive ('is fed into'). The preposition 'into' marks the destination — a machine, system, or process. 'Feed back' means sending return information to a central point.

常見錯誤

❌I feed the machine the paper
✅I feed the paper into the machine
💡the pattern is feed + item + into + machine, not feed + machine + item.

7. to add wood, coal, or other burnable material to a fire, stove, or furnace so th

7.動詞及物B2
釋義

to add wood, coal, or other burnable material to a fire, stove, or furnace so that it keeps burning in a steady way

例句

Apinya fed the campfire with dry branches until the flames grew tall.

feed + [fire] + with + [fuel]

The old iron stove in the cabin needs to be fed every hour in winter.

passive: be fed + [frequency]

同義詞
  • stoke

    more active, involves stirring or poking the fire as well as adding fuel

  • fuel

    broader — can apply to engines or abstract forces, not just open fires

  • supply

    more general; lacks the specific image of keeping a flame alive

反義詞
  • extinguish

    to stop a fire from burning, opposite of keeping it going

  • douse

    to pour water over a fire, directly opposite of feeding it

文法句型

feed + [fire/stove/furnace] + with + [fuel]

feed + [fuel] + into/to + [fire/stove/furnace]

用法筆記

Common with fire, fireplace, stove, furnace, and campfire. The object is the container or the fire itself — not the fuel (you feed the fire with wood, not feed the wood).

常見錯誤

❌She fed wood to make the fire burn.
✅She fed the fire with more wood to keep it burning.
💡the direct object should be the fire or stove, not the fuel.
❌He fed the coal.' (when meaning he added coal to a fire)
✅He fed the furnace with coal.
💡specify what receives the fuel.

8. in basketball, soccer, and ice hockey, to move the ball or puck towards a teamma

8.動詞及物B2
釋義

in basketball, soccer, and ice hockey, to move the ball or puck towards a teammate so that the teammate can try to score

例句

Nala fed the basketball to Élise under the net, and Élise scored easily.

feed + [ball] + to + [teammate]

The midfielder fed the ball through a narrow gap in the defence.

同義詞
  • pass

    neutral term for sending the ball to a teammate; feed implies the pass is aimed at creating a scoring chance

  • assist

    used as a verb in sports statistics; feed is more about the action than the stat

  • set up

    phrasal verb, describes creating the opportunity for a teammate to score

反義詞
  • intercept

    when an opponent catches the ball meant for a teammate

文法句型

feed + [ball/puck] + to + [teammate]

feed + [teammate] + [ball/puck]

用法筆記

Used mainly for passes that directly set up a scoring chance. In British English the term is more common in soccer commentary; in North American English it appears in basketball and ice hockey.

常見錯誤

❌He fed the ball to the goalkeeper.
✅He fed the ball to the striker near the goal.
💡feed implies the pass leads to a scoring attempt, not a routine pass to any teammate.

9. to provide something that keeps a desire, habit, emotion, or need going — someti

9.動詞及物B2
釋義

to provide something that keeps a desire, habit, emotion, or need going — sometimes by satisfying it, sometimes by making it grow stronger

例句

Jabari's constant trips to the casino fed his gambling addiction instead of curing it.

feed + addiction (negative habit)

Every time Camille received a compliment, it fed her need for approval even more.

feed + need for [something]

同義詞
  • fuel

    very similar, but fuel often suggests making something stronger (especially a negative emotion); feed can also mean satisfy

  • gratify

    formal; focuses on satisfying a desire, not on keeping it going

  • sustain

    more neutral and formal; suggests maintaining something at its current level

  • encourage

    broader — can apply to people or behaviours, not just internal desires

反義詞
  • curb

    to restrain or keep a desire in check

  • suppress

    to stop a desire from being expressed or felt

  • starve

    to deprive something of what it needs, opposite of feeding a desire/habit

文法句型

feed + [desire/need/habit/addiction/curiosity]

feed + [someone/something] + with + [information/attention]

用法筆記

Can have a neutral or negative tone. When describing habits or addictions, feed often implies worsening the condition. With basic needs (hunger, curiosity) it is neutral.

常見錯誤

❌The meal fed his stomach.
✅A small snack can feed your hunger until dinner.
💡feed in this sense targets the need/habit, not the body part.
❌Reading feeds his mind.' (vague)
✅Reading science fiction feeds his curiosity about space travel.
💡be specific about what desire is being fed.

feed — noun