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
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.
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 During her 10-month trial in Manchester Crown Court, prosecutors accused her of force-feeding infants’ milk, poisoning some with insulin and injecting others with air. Christine Pelisek, Peoplemag, 11 June 2024 See George Wallace force-feeding Mulaney very vanilla cake with a giant silver spoon and crossing everyone’s boundaries, minus Richard Kind’s (true love). Vulture Staff, Vulture, 13 May 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 8 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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