feeding

feeding — noun

1. One of the regular times during the day when a baby or very young child is given

1.nounA2
Definition

One of the regular times during the day when a baby or very young child is given milk or other food to eat.

Example

The nurse showed Rachid how to position the baby for each feeding.

countable: each feeding / a feeding

Linh's daughter started sleeping through the night after her last feeding.

possessive + last feeding

Common collocations
  • baby's feeding
  • last feeding
  • night feeding
  • feeding time
  • feeding schedule
  • miss a feeding
Synonyms
  • meal

    General term for eating; 'feeding' is specific to babies and young children

  • nursing

    Refers specifically to breastfeeding or bottle-feeding; narrower than 'feeding'

Grammar Patterns

feeding as countable noun

possessive + feeding

adjective + feeding (last/next/first/each)

Usage Note

Countable when referring to one specific occasion. Typically modified by 'first', 'last', 'next', or a possessive determiner (her baby's feeding). Not used for older children or adults — use 'meal' instead.

Common Mistakes

The hotel offers a continental feeding every morning.
The hotel offers a continental breakfast every morning.
'feeding' is for babies only; use 'meal' or 'breakfast' for adults.
I missed my feeding because of the meeting.
I missed my meal because of the meeting.
using 'feeding' for an adult eating occasion sounds unnatural.

2. The activity of supplying nourishment to a living thing, or of taking food in fo

2.nounB1
Definition

The activity of supplying nourishment to a living thing, or of taking food in for oneself.

Example

The zookeeper prepared a special feeding for the penguins at three o'clock.

feeding of animals: special feeding

Caio volunteers at a local shelter that organises the feeding of stray animals.

feeding of + object (animals)

Common collocations
  • feeding programme
  • feeding of animals
  • tube feeding
  • bottle feeding
  • feeding time
  • feeding station
Synonyms
  • nourishment

    Refers to the food itself or its nutritional value, not the act of providing it

  • food provision

    More formal, covers only the giving side, not consuming

Grammar Patterns

feeding of + object

adjective + feeding (tube feeding / bottle feeding)

feeding + noun (feeding programme / feeding time)

Usage Note

Typically uncountable and used in descriptive or formal contexts such as animal care, healthcare, or agriculture. Often followed by 'of' to specify the recipient (feeding of animals, feeding of plants). When countable (a feeding), the meaning shifts towards sense 1 (baby's mealtime).

Common Mistakes

I do the feeding of my three children every evening.
I feed my three children every evening.
'feeding of' is too formal for everyday family contexts; use the verb 'feed' instead.
The conference includes a coffee feeding at ten.
The conference includes a coffee break at ten.
'feeding' is not used for adult refreshment breaks.

Word family

  • feed
    verbA1
  • feed
    nounB1
  • feeder
    nounB2
  • overfeed
    verbC1
  • self-feeding
    adjectiveC1

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

'Feeding' (noun/1) refers specifically to the scheduled occasions when a baby or very young child receives milk or food. 'Meal' is the general term for eating at any age — saying 'a baby's meal' sounds unusual because meals imply older children or adults eating at a table. 'Nursing' and 'breastfeeding' describe feeding directly from the breast, which is a subtype of feeding but not a synonym; a baby can be bottle-fed or fed solids, which are not nursing. 'Bottle-feeding' is another subtype involving a bottle rather than the breast. For example: 'The baby's six o'clock feeding is the last one before bed' sounds natural, whereas 'the baby's six o'clock meal' would be odd. Use 'feeding' for babies, 'meal' for everyone else.

meal ↗nursing ↗breastfeeding ↗bottle-feeding

Common collocations

Nouns

  • feeding time
  • feeding schedule
  • feeding programme
  • feeding station

Phrases

  • feeding of + recipient
  • tube feeding
  • bottle feeding
  • intravenous feeding

Prepositions

  • at a feeding
  • between feedings
  • during feeding

Etymology

Proto-GermanicOld EnglishEnglish

'Feeding' comes from the Old English verb 'fēdan' (to feed, nourish), which belongs to the Germanic language family and shares a root with the modern German verb 'füttern' (to feed animals) and Dutch 'voeden' (to feed). The noun form emerged over time from the verb, first describing the general act of providing food and later narrowing to refer specifically to a baby's meal occasion.