breastfeed

B3R1E1A1S1T1F4E1E1D2
/ˈbɹɛs(t)fiːd/

verb

To feed (a baby) milk via the breasts; to suckle; to nurse.

“She stopped breastfeeding after a few months.”

Similar
boobfeedsucklesucknursewet-nurselactategive suck
Opposite
bottlefeed
OriginEnglish feed ← Middle English brest ← Old English brēost →
UncommonScrabble 16
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Meanings

verbbreastfeed (third-person singular simple present breastfeeds, present participle breastfeeding, simple past and past participle breastfed)

present singular third person breastfeeds · participle present breastfeeding · participle past breastfed · past breastfed · alternative breast feed · alternative breast-feed

  1. intransitivetransitiveTo feed (a baby) milk via the breasts; to suckle; to nurse.

    She stopped breastfeeding after a few months.

    2 more examples

    This is a designated place for mothers to breastfeed their babies.

    RIKER: Isn't that gagh? KLAG: Very good. You did some research on our nutritional choices. RIKER: Yes but- it's still moving. KLAG: Gagh is always best when served live. Would you like something easier? RIKER: Easier? KLAG: Yes, if Klingon food is too strong for you, perhaps we could get one of the females to breast feed you.

    1989 February 6, Jonathan Frakes, Brian Thompson, A Matter of Honor (Star Trek: The Next Generation), Paramount Domestic Television, →OCLC
  2. intransitiveTo nurse, to suck milk from a breast.

    Avoid using a bottle until confident your baby is breastfeeding effectively.

    2013, Baby-Led Breastfeeding: Follow Your Baby’s Instincts, →ISBN, page 281
nounbreastfeed (plural breastfeeds)

plural breastfeeds · alternative breast feed · alternative breast-feed

  1. An instance of feeding milk to a baby from the breasts; a breastfeeding.

Synonyms & antonyms

Similar
boobfeed

verbgive suck to

Similar
sucklesucknursewet-nurselactategive suck
Opposite
bottlefeed
Broader
feedgive
Also see
breastfeedinggive sucklactatenursesucksuckle

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

  1. Proto-Germanic*breustą
  2. Proto-West Germanic*breust
  3. Old Englishbrēost
  4. Middle Englishbrest
  5. Englishbreast
  6. Englishfeed
  7. Englishbreastfeed

From breast + feed.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Afrikaans borsvoed
  • borsvoedfeed a baby milk via the breasts
Ancient Greek θηλάζω
  • θηλάζω (thēlázō)feed a baby milk via the breasts
Arabic أَرْضَعَ
  • أَرْضَعَ (ʔarḍaʕa)feed a baby milk via the breasts
Bulgarian къ́рмя, доя́
  • къ́рмя (kắrmja)feed a baby milk via the breasts
  • доя́ (dojá)feed a baby milk via the breasts
Catalan alletar
  • alletarfeed a baby milk via the breasts
Chinese Mandarin 餵奶 /喂奶, 哺乳
  • 餵奶 /喂奶 (wèinǎi)feed a baby milk via the breasts
  • 哺乳 (bǔrǔ)feed a baby milk via the breasts
  • 母乳餵養 /母乳喂养 (mǔrǔ wèiyǎng)feed a baby milk via the breasts
Czech kojit
  • kojitfeed a baby milk via the breasts
Danish amme
  • ammefeed a baby milk via the breasts
Dutch borstvoeding geven, de borst geven
  • borstvoeding gevenfeed a baby milk via the breasts
  • de borst gevenfeed a baby milk via the breasts
  • zogenfeed a baby milk via the breasts
Esperanto mamnutri
  • mamnutrifeed a baby milk via the breasts
Finnish imettää
  • imettääfeed a baby milk via the breasts
French allaiter, donner la tétée
  • allaiterfeed a baby milk via the breasts
  • donner la tétéefeed a baby milk via the breasts
  • donner le seinfeed a baby milk via the breasts
German stillen, die Brust geben
  • stillenfeed a baby milk via the breasts
  • die Brust gebenfeed a baby milk via the breasts
Greek θηλάζω
  • θηλάζω (thilázo)feed a baby milk via the breasts
Hebrew הניק
  • הניק (heník)feed a baby milk via the breasts
Hindi स्तनपान
  • स्तनपान (stanpān)feed a baby milk via the breasts
Hungarian szoptat
  • szoptatfeed a baby milk via the breasts
Icelandic leggja á brjóst, gefa brjóst
  • leggja á brjóstfeed a baby milk via the breasts
  • gefa brjóstfeed a baby milk via the breasts
Indonesian menyusui, menetek
  • menyusuifeed a baby milk via the breasts
  • menetekfeed a baby milk via the breasts
Irish cothaigh, brollach a thabhairt do
  • cothaighfeed a baby milk via the breasts
  • brollach a thabhairt dofeed a baby milk via the breasts
  • beathú cíche a thabhairt dofeed a baby milk via the breasts
Italian allattare, allattare al seno
  • allattarefeed a baby milk via the breasts
  • allattare al senofeed a baby milk via the breasts
Japanese 授乳する
  • 授乳する (junyū suru)feed a baby milk via the breasts
Korean 모유로 키우다
  • 모유로 키우다 (moyu-ro kiuda)feed a baby milk via the breasts
Latin nūtriō, alō
  • nūtriōfeed a baby milk via the breasts
  • alōfeed a baby milk via the breasts
Latvian zīdīt
  • zīdītfeed a baby milk via the breasts
Malay menyusui
  • menyusuifeed a baby milk via the breasts
Māori whāngote, whakangote
  • whāngotefeed a baby milk via the breasts
  • whakangotefeed a baby milk via the breasts
Norwegian amme
  • ammefeed a baby milk via the breasts
Polish karmić piersią
  • karmić piersiąfeed a baby milk via the breasts
Portuguese amamentar, dar de mamar
  • amamentarfeed a baby milk via the breasts
  • dar de mamarfeed a baby milk via the breasts
  • aleitarfeed a baby milk via the breasts
  • lactarfeed a baby milk via the breasts
Romanian alăpta
  • alăptafeed a baby milk via the breasts
Russian корми́ть гру́дью
  • корми́ть гру́дью (kormítʹ grúdʹju)feed a baby milk via the breasts
Slovak dojčiť
  • dojčiťfeed a baby milk via the breasts
Spanish dar teta, dar de mamar
  • dar tetafeed a baby milk via the breasts
  • dar de mamarfeed a baby milk via the breasts
  • lactarfeed a baby milk via the breasts
  • dar el pechofeed a baby milk via the breasts
  • amamantarfeed a baby milk via the breasts
  • achichiguarfeed a baby milk via the breasts
  • atetarfeed a baby milk via the breasts
  • tetarfeed a baby milk via the breasts
  • lecharfeed a baby milk via the breasts
Swahili nyonyesha
  • nyonyeshafeed a baby milk via the breasts
Swedish amma
  • ammafeed a baby milk via the breasts
Tagalog umut-ot, ut-utin
  • umut-otfeed a baby milk via the breasts
  • ut-utinfeed a baby milk via the breasts
  • magpasusofeed a baby milk via the breasts
Tamil பாலூட்டு, பாலூட்டல்
  • பாலூட்டு (pālūṭṭu)feed a baby milk via the breasts
  • பாலூட்டல் (pālūṭṭal)feed a baby milk via the breasts
  • தாய்ப்பாலூட்டல் (tāyppālūṭṭal)feed a baby milk via the breasts
  • முலைப்பாலுட்டு (mulaippāluṭṭu)feed a baby milk via the breasts
  • முலைப்பாலூட்டல் (mulaippālūṭṭal)feed a baby milk via the breasts
Turkish emzirmek
  • emzirmekfeed a baby milk via the breasts
Ukrainian годувати грудьми
  • годувати грудьми (hoduvaty hrudʹmy)feed a baby milk via the breasts
Vietnamese bú
  • búfeed a baby milk via the breasts
Welsh bwydo o'r fron
  • bwydo o'r fronfeed a baby milk via the breasts
Cite this entry
APA

breastfeed. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/breastfeed

MLA

“breastfeed.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/breastfeed. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “breastfeed,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/breastfeed.

Source: breastfeed on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.