breastfeed

verb

breast·​feed ˈbrest-ˌfēd 

variants or breast-feed

breastfed or breast-fed; breastfeeding or breast-feeding; breastfeeds or breast-feeds

transitive verb

: to feed (a baby) from a mother's breast

intransitive verb

1

: to breastfeed a baby

… more women are breastfeeding than ever before …

—Lauren Sandler

2

of a baby : to feed oneself by sucking milk from a mother's breast

breastfed adjective

or breast-fed

breastfed babies

breastfeeder noun

or breast-feeder

breastfeeding noun

or breast-feeding

Synonyms

• nurse
• suckle
• wet-nurse

Examples of breastfeed in a Sentence

believes that all women should breast-feed their babies

Recent Examples on the Web

Modi was a new mom in 2016, when her hopes for a seamless breastfeeding journey was upended by mastitis and a raging fever. —Gemma Allen, Forbes, 24 Sep. 2024

On the other hand, breastfeeding may help lower the risk of relapses by keeping estrogen levels lower and increasing prolactin. —Brandi Jones, Msn-Ed, Rn-Bc, Health, 24 Sep. 2024

Pregnancy, weight fluctuations, exercise, hormonal changes, breastfeeding, water retention, and age can all impact the way our bras fit. —Charlotte Owen, Vogue, 21 Sep. 2024

That ability to be home with my babies, and to take nursing breaks as needed made all the difference in my breastfeeding success, and part of advocating for breastfeeding mothers is advocating for mothers who wish to breastfeed but don’t have this access. —Sarah Scott, Parents, 17 Sep. 2024

Among the other changes Martin has made has been a decision to stop breastfeeding. —Dave Quinn, Peoplemag, 13 Sep. 2024

State of shirt: Massachusetts law prohibits women from being completely shirtless in public when not breastfeeding. —Mike Deehan, Axios, 16 Aug. 2024

The photos show Cardi breastfeeding, pushing in the delivery room, and Offset bonding with his now sixth child. —Amber Corrine, VIBE.com, 18 Sep. 2024

Another part of advocating for breastfeeding moms is normalizing breastfeeding, which is exactly what Willis is doing by sharing glimpses into her nursing relationship with her daughter. —Sarah Scott, Parents, 17 Sep. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1869, in the meaning defined at transitive sense

Kids Definition

breast-feed

verb

ˈbrest-ˌfēd

breast-fed

-ˌfed

; breast-feeding

: to feed a baby from a mother's breast

Medical Definition

breastfeed

verb

breast·​feed

variants or breast-feed

ˈbrest-ˌfēd

breastfed or breast-fed; breastfeeding or breast-feeding; breastfeeds or breast-feeds

transitive verb

: to feed (a baby) from a mother's breast

intransitive verb

1

: to breastfeed a baby

2

of a baby : to feed oneself by sucking milk from a mother's breast

breastfed adjective

or breast-fed

breastfed babies

breastfeeder noun

or breast-feeder

This class for first-time breastfeeders will be from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m.

—The Reno (Nevada) Gazette-Journal

On average, infants who were exclusive breast-feeders continued to drink more as they got older …

—The Philadelphia Inquirer

breastfeeding noun

or breast-feeding