force-feed

verb

force-fed ˈfȯrs-ˌfed How to pronounce force-feed (audio) ; force-feeding

transitive verb

1
: to feed (a person or an animal) by forcible administration of food
2
: to force to take in
force-feed students the classics
also used with a single object
force-feed the classics to students
force-feed students with the classics

Examples of force-feed in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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.
To Evoke a Specific Emotion Nostalgia has been force-fed to American audiences for far too long, far too often, but when used wisely, memories of the past can be a powerful boost to art made for the present. Ben Travers, IndieWire, 20 Nov. 2024 They were imprisoned and force-fed in British prisons after going on hunger strike and, later in life, became disillusioned with the peace process. Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 19 Nov. 2024 To stop is to die, or, worse, to be force-fed a clip of Ricky Gervais saying words. Evan Waite, The New Yorker, 8 Oct. 2024 Boyd and her cohorts were there to document their dispersal, compiling data while force-feeding wood stoves to heat drafty cabins in subzero winters. Ben Long, The Denver Post, 12 Sep. 2024 The Bills won’t be force-feeding the humble Shakir. Bill Reinhard, New York Daily News, 11 Aug. 2024 During her previous 10-month trial at Manchester Crown Court in 2022 and 2023, prosecutors accused Letby of force-feeding infants' milk, poisoning some with insulin and injecting others with air. Kirsty Hatcher, Peoplemag, 5 July 2024 The woman is also accused of force-feeding some children and carrying one child upside down by the ankle while strapped to a chair, WTAE reported. Lauren Liebhaber, Miami Herald, 3 July 2024 Conservative orthodoxy at the national level holds that parents must be given an out from a failing public education system that force-feeds children progressive fads. Alec MacGillis, ProPublica, 1 July 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1901, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of force-feed was in 1901

Dictionary Entries Near force-feed

Cite this Entry

“Force-feed.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/force-feed. Accessed 25 Nov. 2024.

Kids Definition

force-feed

verb
ˈfō(ə)rs-ˌfēd,
ˈfȯ(ə)rs-
force-fed
-ˌfed
; force-feeding
1
: to feed (an animal or person) by forcefully giving food
2
: to force to take in
force-feed the classics to students

More from Merriam-Webster on force-feed

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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