spoon-feed
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spoon-feed
(spo͞on′fēd′)tr.v. spoon-fed (-fĕd′), spoon-feed·ing, spoon-feeds
1. To feed (another) with a spoon.
2. To treat (another) in a way that discourages independent thought or action, as by overindulgence.
3.
a. To provide (another) with knowledge or information in an oversimplified way.
b. To provide (knowledge or information) in an oversimplified way.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
spoon-feed
vb (tr) , -feeds, -feeding or -fed
1. (Cookery) to feed with a spoon
2. to overindulge or spoil
3. to provide (a person) with ready-made opinions, judgments, etc, depriving him of original thought or action
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014
spoon′-feed`
v.t. -fed, -feed•ing.
1. to feed with a spoon.
2. to provide so fully with information or the like that one is prevented from thinking or acting independently.
3. to provide someone with (information or the like) in this way.
4. to pamper.
[1605–15]
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.
spoon-feed
Past participle: spoon-fed
Gerund: spoon-feeding
| Imperative |
|---|
| spoon-feed |
| spoon-feed |
Collins English Verb Tables © HarperCollins Publishers 2011
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spoon-feed
verb mollycoddle, spoil, cosset, baby, featherbed, overindulge, overprotect, wrap up in cotton wool (informal) He spoon-fed me and did everything around the house.
Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002
Translations
spoon-feed
[ˈspuːnfiːd] (spoon-fed (pt, pp)) VT1. (lit) → dar de comer con cuchara a
2. (fig) → dar todo hecho a, poner todo en bandeja a, malacostumbrar
it isn't good to spoon-feed children → no es bueno dárselo todo hecho or ponérselo todo en bandeja or malacostumbrar a los niños
it isn't good to spoon-feed children → no es bueno dárselo todo hecho or ponérselo todo en bandeja or malacostumbrar a los niños
Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005
spoon-feed
pret, ptp <spoon-fed>Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007
spoon-feed
[ˈspuːnˌfiːd] (spoon-fed (pt, pp)) [ˈspuːnˌfɛd] vt → imboccare (fig) → scodellare la pappa aCollins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995
spoon
(spuːn) noun1. an instrument shaped like a shallow bowl with a handle for lifting food (especially soup or pudding) to the mouth, or for stirring tea, coffee etc. a teaspoon/soup-spoon.
2. a spoonful.
verb to lift or scoop up with a spoon. She spooned food into the baby's mouth.
ˈspoonful noun the amount held by a spoon. three spoonfuls of sugar.
ˈspoon-feed – past tense, past participle ˈspoon-fed – verb1. to feed with a spoon.
2. to teach or treat (a person) in a way that does not allow him to think or act for himself.
Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary © 2006-2013 K Dictionaries Ltd.