feeds

1. 1
   verb

   Third-person singular simple present of feed.

   The nurse feeds the newborn every few hours through the night.

   A network of tributaries feeds the reservoir during the rainy season.

   Note

   Here the verb's many constructions all pass through the -s form. A nurse feeds a child, and a grazing herd feeds without any object. A farmer feeds hay to the cattle or feeds the cattle hay. With machines either thing can be the object: an operator feeds paper into the press, or feeds the press with paper. Figuratively, praise feeds vanity. The -s marks a singular subject: she feeds, but they feed.

2. 2
   noun

   Plural of feed.

   The supplier compared two grain feeds for their protein content.

   Specialized feeds for young calves are stored separately in the barn.

   Note

   A plural that changes what the noun counts. As livestock food, feed is usually a mass noun, so feeds names kinds or rations of it: grain feeds, feeds for calves. The countable senses take the plural plainly, and in colloquial British, Australian and New Zealand use a feed is a meal, so a few good feeds are a few hearty meals. The same spelling also serves as the present-tense verb.

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