breastfeed
verb
breast·feed
ˈbrest-ˌfēd 
variants
or breast-feed
breastfed or breast-fed; breastfeeding or breast-feeding; breastfeeds or breast-feeds
: to feed (a baby) from a mother's breast
1
: to breastfeed a baby
… more women are breastfeeding than ever before …—
Lauren Sandler
Lauren Sandler2
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
Examples of breastfeed in a Sentence
believes that all women should breast-feed their babies
Recent Examples on the Web
The Will County Health Department has created a new breastfeeding support group that will meet twice a month.
—Michelle Mullins, Chicago Tribune, 28 July 2025
It is not recommended for people who are breastfeeding or pregnant.
—Stephanie Brown, Verywell Health, 24 July 2025
First aid, hygiene, breastfeeding, and childcare training for 242 people.
—Dan Sheehan, Literary Hub, 24 July 2025
In February 2024, a Black couple filed a lawsuit against multiple DCS employees, Tennessee Highway Patrol troopers, Coffee County and its sheriff's deputies after their five small children, including a breastfeeding baby, were taken away from them after a March 2023 traffic stop.
—Rachel Wegner, The Tennessean, 2 July 2025
However, as with any caffeinated beverage, people who are pregnant or breastfeeding should limit their intake.9
Green tea extracts, which are supplements or pills containing extremely high levels of green tea compounds, have more health risks than the green tea beverage.
—Sarah Bence, Verywell Health, 14 July 2025
That was followed by Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA) by Washington D.C., which offers 43 restaurants to choose from, one play area, five breastfeeding stations, and rentable strollers.
—Opheli Garcia Lawler, Travel + Leisure, 14 July 2025
In both clinics, more than 700 pregnant and breastfeeding women and nearly 500 children with severe and moderate malnutrition are enrolled in outpatient therapeutic feeding centers, according to the group.
—Bymary Kekatos, ABC News, 13 July 2025
Furthermore, while retinoids are not advised for use during pregnancy or breastfeeding, Dr. Zeichner notes that in independent clinical trials, Elastic-Cream was found to help firm and boost collagen, two benefits beloved by retinol fans.
—Erin Bunch, Glamour, 9 July 2025
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
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Michelle Mullins, Chicago Tribune, 28 July 2025
It is not recommended for people who are breastfeeding or pregnant.
—Stephanie Brown, Verywell Health, 24 July 2025
First aid, hygiene, breastfeeding, and childcare training for 242 people.
—Dan Sheehan, Literary Hub, 24 July 2025
In February 2024, a Black couple filed a lawsuit against multiple DCS employees, Tennessee Highway Patrol troopers, Coffee County and its sheriff's deputies after their five small children, including a breastfeeding baby, were taken away from them after a March 2023 traffic stop.
—Rachel Wegner, The Tennessean, 2 July 2025
However, as with any caffeinated beverage, people who are pregnant or breastfeeding should limit their intake.9
Green tea extracts, which are supplements or pills containing extremely high levels of green tea compounds, have more health risks than the green tea beverage.
—Sarah Bence, Verywell Health, 14 July 2025
That was followed by Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA) by Washington D.C., which offers 43 restaurants to choose from, one play area, five breastfeeding stations, and rentable strollers.
—Opheli Garcia Lawler, Travel + Leisure, 14 July 2025
In both clinics, more than 700 pregnant and breastfeeding women and nearly 500 children with severe and moderate malnutrition are enrolled in outpatient therapeutic feeding centers, according to the group.
—Bymary Kekatos, ABC News, 13 July 2025
Furthermore, while retinoids are not advised for use during pregnancy or breastfeeding, Dr. Zeichner notes that in independent clinical trials, Elastic-Cream was found to help firm and boost collagen, two benefits beloved by retinol fans.
—Erin Bunch, Glamour, 9 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Breastfeed.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/breastfeed. Accessed 6 Aug. 2025.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
breastfeed
verb
breast·feed
variants
or breast-feed
ˈbrest-ˌfēd
breastfed or breast-fed; breastfeeding or breast-feeding; breastfeeds or breast-feeds
: to feed (a baby) from a mother's breast
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
The Reno (Nevada) Gazette-Journal
On average, infants who were exclusive breast-feeders continued to drink more as they got older …
—The Philadelphia Inquirer
The Philadelphia Inquirer
breastfeeding
noun
or breast-feeding
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