breastfeed

verb

breast·​feed ˈbrest-ˌfēd How to pronounce breastfeed (audio)
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

Examples of breastfeed in a Sentence

believes that all women should breast-feed their babies
Recent Examples on the Web
These examples are automatically compiled from online sources to illustrate current usage. Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Not that breastfeeding is easy, as Jing discovers to her frustration. Frank Scheck, The Hollywood Reporter, 31 Oct. 2024 Mercury content is also something to be wary of, especially for pregnant or breastfeeding women, as high levels of mercury can be harmful to developing nervous systems. Daryl Austin, USA TODAY, 8 Oct. 2024 One reason: New Haitian immigrants must wait six to eight weeks to get into a program that provides supplemental food for low-income pregnant, breastfeeding, or non-breastfeeding postpartum women, as well as for children and infants. Tribune News Service, The Mercury News, 18 Oct. 2024 In fact, breastfeeding moms need an additional 16 cups of fluids daily. Lauryn Higgins, Parents, 10 Oct. 2024 This may be of concern in pregnancy, breastfeeding, children, and people with kidney issues. Melissa Nieves, Verywell Health, 9 Oct. 2024 Of all the taboos Wong breaks, from getting into the gory truth of breastfeeding to working blue while visibly pregnant, the unabashed embrace of her own success may be the most challenging of all to social norms. Variety, NBC News, 9 Oct. 2024 Many women report that their breasts appear different after childbirth, even after breastfeeding has stopped. Katia Hetter, CNN, 8 Oct. 2024 Cardi, 31, shared the little girl’s birth date along with a series of hospital photos, including one of herself breastfeeding and others showing her family doting on the newborn. Nardine Saad, Los Angeles Times, 12 Sep. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1869, in the meaning defined at transitive sense

Time Traveler
The first known use of breastfeed was in 1869

Dictionary Entries Near breastfeed

Cite this Entry

“Breastfeed.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/breastfeed. Accessed 5 Nov. 2024.

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

More from Merriam-Webster on breastfeed

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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