breastfeed

verb

breast·​feed ˈbrest-ˌfēd 

variants or breast-feed

breastfed or breast-fed; breastfeeding or breast-feeding; breastfeeds or breast-feeds

transitive verb

: to feed (a baby) from a mother's breast

intransitive verb

1

: to breastfeed a baby

… more women are breastfeeding than ever before …

—Lauren Sandler

2

of a baby : to feed oneself by sucking milk from a mother's breast

breastfed adjective

or breast-fed

breastfed babies

breastfeeder noun

or breast-feeder

breastfeeding noun

or breast-feeding

Synonyms

• nurse
• suckle

Examples of breastfeed in a Sentence

believes that all women should breast-feed their babies

Recent Examples on the Web

There is no known level of lead exposure that is considered safe and some people are at even higher risk of adverse effects, warned the agency, including young children, people of child-bearing age and people who are breastfeeding. —Mary Walrath-Holdridge, USA Today, 15 Sep. 2025

Pediatricians widely recommend exclusively breastfeeding for the first six months of an infant’s life, but many parents can’t, for a range of medical, economic, and personal reasons—not least that feeding and pumping are incredibly time-consuming. —Yasmin Tayag, The Atlantic, 14 Sep. 2025

The commission said the administration would research possible connections between children's oral health and chronic disease, update nutrition requirements for infant formula, and work to increase the rate of breastfeeding among American mothers. —Will McDuffie, ABC News, 9 Sep. 2025

In the snap, Culpo smiled softly for the camera while breastfeeding the infant. —Gabrielle Rockson, PEOPLE, 9 Sep. 2025

Legendairy Milk It was developed for breastfeeding moms to give them an immune boost and more energy, but the mix provides similar effects for everyone. —Ramsey Qubein, Forbes.com, 7 Sep. 2025

Some breastfeeding parents stop experiencing any leakage after the first few weeks of breastfeeding. —Bestreviews, Mercury News, 5 Sep. 2025

The chef and cookbook author discusses breastfeeding in public and feeding her 14-month-old spicy food. —Elisabeth Sherman, Parents, 3 Sep. 2025

Many experts, however, recommend more for athletes, older adults and pregnant or breastfeeding women. —Deirdre Bardolf, FOXNews.com, 30 Aug. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1869, in the meaning defined at transitive sense

Kids Definition

breast-feed

verb

ˈbrest-ˌfēd

breast-fed

-ˌfed

; breast-feeding

: to feed a baby from a mother's breast

Medical Definition

breastfeed

verb

breast·​feed

variants or breast-feed

ˈbrest-ˌfēd

breastfed or breast-fed; breastfeeding or breast-feeding; breastfeeds or breast-feeds

transitive verb

: to feed (a baby) from a mother's breast

intransitive verb

1

: to breastfeed a baby

2

of a baby : to feed oneself by sucking milk from a mother's breast

breastfed adjective

or breast-fed

breastfed babies

breastfeeder noun

or breast-feeder

This class for first-time breastfeeders will be from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m.

—The Reno (Nevada) Gazette-Journal

On average, infants who were exclusive breast-feeders continued to drink more as they got older …

—The Philadelphia Inquirer

breastfeeding noun

or breast-feeding