breastfeed

• breast feed, breast-feed

From breast +‎ feed.

• IPA^(key): /ˈbɹɛs(t)fiːd/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

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

1. (transitive, intransitive) To feed (a baby) milk via the breasts; to suckle; to nurse.

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

   She stopped breastfeeding after a few months.

   • 1989 February 6, Jonathan Frakes, Brian Thompson, A Matter of Honor (Star Trek: The Next Generation), Paramount Domestic Television, →OCLC:

     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.

2. (chiefly of a baby, intransitive) To nurse, to suck milk from a breast.
   • 2013, Baby-Led Breastfeeding: Follow Your Baby’s Instincts, →ISBN, page 281:

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

• boobfeed (informal)

breastfeed (plural breastfeeds)

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