What does "feeder" mean?
One who feeds, or gives food to another.
Feeder
/ˈfidɚ/ noun, slang
noun, slang ·Common ·Middle school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: One who feeds, or gives food to another.
- Grammar: feeder is listed as noun, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: actor, actress, advancer, affluent.
- Usage evidence: Jed works as a cattle feeder, but he has designs on the whole ranch.
How to use "feeder"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "feeder" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "feeder" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "feeder" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "feeder" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "feeder" is acting as noun, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "actor" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "feeder", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 One who feeds, or gives food to another.
- 2 an animal being fattened or suitable for fattening wordnet
- 3 One who feeds, or gives food to another.; The participant in feederism who feeds the other (the feedee).
"Often similes such as 'soft as velvet' or 'fluffy like a cloud' will be employed and the feeder will describe how he feels he can be lost in the enveloping folds of soft flesh."
- 4 an animal that feeds on a particular source of food wordnet
- 5 One who feeds, or takes in food.
"The patch is kind enough, but a huge feeder, Snail-slow in profit, and he sleeps by day More than the wild-cat; […]"
Show 17 more definitions
- 6 an outdoor device that supplies food for wild birds wordnet
- 7 One who, or that which, feeds material into something (especially a machine).
"When the claxon sounded they immediately stopped what they were doing and uncovered the Oerlikon. Paddy, who was ammunition feeder, stood by while Jock trained the 20mm gun around."
- 8 a machine that automatically provides a supply of some material wordnet
- 9 That which is used to feed.
"a bird feeder"
- 10 a branch that flows into the main stream wordnet
- 11 A tributary stream, especially of a canal.
"The surface of the Balaton and the surrounding marshes is not less than 24 German square miles, or 384 English square miles; its principal feeder is the Szala, but all the water it receives appears inconsiderable relatively to its superficial extent, and the quantity lost in evaporation."
- 12 someone who consumes food for nourishment wordnet
- 13 A branch line of a railway.
"This line, described as a valuable feeder to the Newcastle & Carlisle Railway, was opened on July 8, 1836, and superseded the older wagonway."
- 14 A transmission line that feeds the electricity for an electricity substation, or for a transmitter.
- 15 Ellipsis of feeder school. abbreviation, alt-of, ellipsis
- 16 A feeder ship.
- 17 A judge whose law clerks are often selected to become clerks for the Supreme Court. US
- 18 The pitcher. archaic, slang
- 19 A player whose character is killed by the opposing player or team more than once, deliberately or through lack of skills and experience, thus helping the opposing side. derogatory
- 20 One who abets another. obsolete
"Go with me; if you like upon report The soil, the profit, and this kind of life, I will your very faithful feeder be, And buy it with your gold right suddenly."
- 21 A parasite. obsolete
- 22 Synonym of blower (“fissure from which firedamp issues”).
Example
"Jed works as a cattle feeder, but he has designs on the whole ranch."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "feeder"?
Common synonyms include: actor, actress, advancer, affluent, affluent, animal feeder.
How do you use "feeder" in a sentence?
Jed works as a cattle feeder, but he has designs on the whole ranch.
How do you pronounce "feeder"?
Pronounced /ˈfidɚ/.
Etymology
From Middle English feedere, federe, fedare, equivalent to feed + -er.