suckle

verb

suck·​le ˈsə-kəl 

suckled; suckling ˈsə-k(ə-)liŋ 

transitive verb

1

a

: to give milk to from the breast or udder

a mother suckling her child

b

: to nurture as if by giving milk from the breast

was suckled on pulp magazines

2

: to draw milk from the breast or udder of

lambs suckling the ewes

intransitive verb

: to draw milk from the breast or udder

Synonyms

• breast-feed
• nurse
• wet-nurse

Examples of suckle in a Sentence

a cat suckling her kittens

the image of a mother suckling her babe is a standard artistic symbol of maternal love and nurturing

Recent Examples on the Web

Joan jumped on her leg in an attempt to get some and started to suckle the cheese. —Nina Turner, Newsweek, 30 Oct. 2024

After the birth, the infant was showing strong signs of suckling, and zoo staff thought that Kianga was providing excellent care, the release states. —Grant Lancaster, arkansasonline.com, 7 Sep. 2024

But the government men botched their job: rather than dying, the twins were soon discovered by a she-wolf, who suckled them back to health. —Michael Fontaine, Foreign Affairs, 15 Feb. 2016

The insects will have enough time to get used to their new home and then hopefully mate and burrow down to suckle at the roots of hazel trees. —Elizabeth Weise, USA TODAY, 31 May 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English suklen, probably back-formation from suklyng

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a

Kids Definition

suckle

verb

suck·​le ˈsək-əl 

suckled; suckling -(ə-)liŋ 

: to give or draw milk from the breast or udder

Medical Definition

suckle

transitive verb

suck·​le ˈsək-əl 

suckled; suckling -(ə-)liŋ 

1

: to give milk to from the breast or udder

a mother suckling her child

2

: to draw milk from the breast or udder of