breast-feed

verb

ˈbrest-ˌfēd How to pronounce breast-feed (audio)
Definition of breast-feednext
as in to nurse
to give milk to from the breast believes that all women should breast-feed their babies

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of breast-feed Spironolactone is safe to take while breastfeeding, finasteride is not. — Jana Pollack, Parents, 28 May 2026 Pregnant or breastfeeding women should also avoid juice cleanses. — Bestreviews, Mercury News, 15 June 2026 The actor recently received an email from the series’ lactation consultant praising the show’s onscreen depiction of breastfeeding. — Savannah Walsh, Vanity Fair, 20 May 2026 Women with thyroid disorders or a history of disordered eating should consult a clinician first, as should pregnant or breastfeeding women, adolescent girls and those under high chronic stress. — Allison Palmer, Kansas City Star, 10 June 2026 While Instagram’s community guidelines ban posting most kinds of nudity, with exceptions for sculptures and breastfeeding, in practice, the main feed on my Instagram is full of ass shots—nothing frontal. — Reece Rogers, Wired News, 13 May 2026 In rural Gedaref State, pregnant and breastfeeding women benefit from unconditional cash grants integrated with health and nutrition services for healthier children. — Sarah Ferguson, Forbes.com, 5 June 2026 The breastfeeding billing battle UnitedHealthcare is cutting back on paying for lactation counseling, and the clinicians who provide those services are up in arms, another example of the deepening rifts between providers and insurers. — Bob Herman, STAT, 8 June 2026 Doris Flores, a mother from Honduras, was separated from her breastfeeding infant after Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers arrested her and her fiance at the same time. — Mica Rosenberg, ProPublica, 18 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for breast-feed
  1. nurse
  2. suckle
Verb
  • Unluckily, Alys, freshly alienated by Daemon, arrives just in time to nurse the enemy of her enemy back to health.
    — Amanda Whiting, Vulture, 29 June 2026
  • They are set to be without right-back Reece James, who is nursing a hamstring injury.
    — The Athletic Soccer Experts, New York Times, 27 June 2026
Definition of nurse
Verb
  • The pups have the epicurean delight of suckling one of the highest fat-content milks in the animal kingdom.
    — John Metcalfe, Mercury News, 24 Nov. 2025
  • Those people under him are suckling on his piggly-wiggly titties.
    — David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 10 Nov. 2025
Definition of suckle

Browse Nearby Words

breast-fed
breast-feed
breast-feeding
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Breast-feed.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/breast-feed. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on breast-feed

Nglish: Translation of breast-feed for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Commonly Misspelled Words

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

One-Word Oxymorons: Bittersweet, Spendthrift, and More

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
hangman letters and game
Hangman Lightning Round Figure out which word fits in the blanks.
See All