spoon-feed

verb

Definition of spoon-feednext
as in to hand-feed

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Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of spoon-feed Nowhere is this more apparent than in a montage of snapshots during which the characters recount everything, spoon-feeding us information that should either be implied or not there at all. — Jay Weissberg, Variety, 14 May 2026 Staff started out by wearing bear masks and animal furs, then crawling into the enclosure to spoon-feed the cubs formula. — Clara Harter, Los Angeles Times, 13 May 2026 But, because of the differences in bottle feeding versus natural milk feeding, the cubs needed a diet regimen in which the food is either placed in a bowl or spoon-fed to them. — Caleb Lunetta, San Diego Union-Tribune, 25 Mar. 2026 What motivates him, besides the discerning women who exist to spoon-feed him the harsh truths of life? — Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 20 Feb. 2026 See All Example Sentences for spoon-feed
Recent Examples of Synonyms for spoon-feed
  1. hand-feed
  2. force-feed
  3. overfeed
  4. fatten
  5. underfeed
  6. fill
Verb
  • Guests may get to hand-feed certain animals with kale and other seasonal farm vegetables available for purchase.
    — Air Mail, Air Mail, 8 Aug. 2026
  • On the docks in Islamorada, travelers can hand-feed tarpon that are more than six feet long.
    — Sarah Rose, Travel + Leisure, 25 June 2026
Definition of hand-feed
Verb
  • Entering this season, Georgia doesn’t appear to have an obvious candidate to force-feed the ball.
    — Connor Riley, AJC.com, 14 Aug. 2026
  • When so much of the online algorithm force-feeds division, the World Cup has presented a new, uplifting form of viral content; unifying, cross-cultural, a reminder, should it be required, that most people actually like one another.
    — Adam Crafton, New York Times, 23 June 2026
Definition of force-feed
Verb
  • However, frequent consumption of sweets and sugary drinks can overfeed harmful bacteria in a way that neither saliva nor helpful bacteria can overcome.
    — Jacqueline Abranches, The Conversation, 2 Dec. 2025
  • Remember, those treat calories count toward the daily total, so adjust meal portions accordingly to prevent overfeeding and maintain a balanced, healthy diet.
    — Lucy Notarantonio, MSNBC Newsweek, 27 Oct. 2025
Definition of overfeed
Verb
  • Don’t stress about your pile of fall reading; fatten it up, baby, and pick up one of this month’s new releases.
    — Bethanne Patrick, Los Angeles Times, 2 Sep. 2026
  • But Commure isn’t just promising to fatten doctors’ wallets with money from insurers.
    — Casey Ross, STAT, 12 Aug. 2026
Definition of fatten
Verb
  • That court order stems from a legal action that the Southern Center brought against Sheriff Franklin’s predecessor, Greg Bartlett, who had been underfeeding inmates while taking $212,000 in food money for his personal use.
    — WALT BOGDANICH and GRACE ASHFORD, New York Times, 14 Dec. 2017
Definition of underfeed
Verb
  • Around the three-and-a-half-hour mark of the race, the finish-line medical tent filled.
    — Vibhu Krishna, STAT, 2 Oct. 2026
  • The interiors, meanwhile, are by Philip Johnson and filled with an insane Warhol-and-Jeff-Koons art collection thanks to billionaire owner Aby Rosen.
    — Elise Taylor, Vanity Fair, 2 Oct. 2026
Definition of fill

Browse Nearby Words

spoon-fed
spoon-feed
spoon-feeding
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Cite this Entry

“Spoon-feed.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/spoon-feed. Accessed 6 Oct. 2026.

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