Feed

What Does “Feed” Mean?

The word feed can be used as both a verb and a noun in English. It generally relates to providing food or nourishment, but it also has extended meanings in technology and media.

As a Verb

Feed (verb) means to give food to a person, animal, or plant.

As a Noun

Feed (noun) refers to food for animals, or a stream of information/data (e.g., news feed, RSS feed).

Common Phrases & Idioms

• Feed someone a line – to deceive someone with false information.
• Bottle-feed – to feed a baby or animal from a bottle.
• Feed off/upon something – to draw energy or support from something (often negative).
• Don’t bite the hand that feeds you – don’t harm someone who helps you.

Synonyms

As a verb: nourish, supply, provide, sustain
As a noun (animal food): fodder, forage, provisions
As a noun (data stream): stream, update, channel

Did You Know?

In computing, a “feed” often refers to automatically updated content like blog posts or news headlines delivered via RSS or Atom protocols. This allows users to “subscribe” and receive new content without visiting the website directly.