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Graze vs Feed - What's the difference?

graze | feed |

In transitive terms the difference between graze and feed

is that graze is to cause a slight wound to; to scratch while feed is to give to a machine to be processed.

In intransitive terms the difference between graze and feed

is that graze is to yield grass for grazing while feed is to eat usually of animals.

graze

English

Noun

(en noun)
  • The act of grazing; a scratching or injuring lightly on passing.
  • A light abrasion; a slight scratch.
  • Verb

    (graz)
  • To feed or supply (cattle, sheep, etc.) with grass; to furnish pasture for.
  • * Jonathan Swift
  • a field or two to graze his cows
  • * 1999:' Although it is perfectly good meadowland, none of the villagers has ever '''grazed animals on the meadow on the other side of the wall. — ''Stardust , Neil Gaiman, page 4 (2001 Perennial Edition).
  • (ambitransitive) To feed on; to eat (growing herbage); to eat grass from (a pasture); to browse.
  • Cattle graze in the meadows.
  • * Alexander Pope
  • The lambs with wolves shall graze the verdant mead.
  • * 1993 , John Montroll, Origami Inside-Out (page 41)
  • The bird [Canada goose] is more often found on land than other waterfowl because of its love for seeds and grains. The long neck is well adapted for grazing .
  • To tend (cattle, etc.) while grazing.
  • * Shakespeare
  • when Jacob grazed his uncle Laban's sheep
  • To rub or touch lightly the surface of (a thing) in passing.
  • the bullet grazed the wall
  • * 1851 ,
  • But in that gale, the port, the land, is that ship’s direst jeopardy; she must fly all hospitality; one touch of land, though it but graze the keel, would make her shudder through and through.
  • To cause a slight wound to; to scratch.
  • to graze one's knee
  • To yield grass for grazing.
  • * Francis Bacon
  • The sewers must be kept so as the water may not stay too long in the spring; for then the ground continueth the wet, whereby it will never graze to purpose that year.

    Derived terms

    * overgraze

    Anagrams

    * ----

    feed

    English

    Etymology 1

    From (etyl) feden, from (etyl) through Indo-European. More at (l), (l).

    Verb

  • (lb) To give (someone or something) food to eat.
  • :
  • *Bible, (w) xii.20:
  • *:If thine enemy hunger, feed him.
  • (lb) To eat (usually of animals).
  • :
  • *
  • *:But then I had the [massive] flintlock by me for protection. ¶.
  • (lb) To give (someone or something) to (someone or something else) as food.
  • :
  • *2012 December 25 (airdate), (Steven Moffat), The Snowmen'' (''Doctor Who )
  • *:DR SIMEON: I said I'd feed you. I didn't say who to.
  • (lb) To give to a machine to be processed.
  • :
  • :
  • (lb) To satisfy, gratify, or minister to (a sense, taste, desire, etc.).
  • *(William Shakespeare) (1564-1616)
  • *:I will feed fat the ancient grudge I bear him.
  • *(Richard Knolles) (1545-1610)
  • *:feeding him with the hope of liberty
  • To supply with something.
  • :
  • To graze; to cause to be cropped by feeding, as herbage by cattle.
  • :
  • *Mortimer
  • *:Once in three years feed your mowing lands.
  • To pass to.
  • *{{quote-news, year=2010, date=December 28, author=Kevin Darlin, work=BBC
  • , title= West Brom 1-3 Blackburn , passage=Morrison then played a pivotal role in West Brom's equaliser, powering through the middle and feeding Tchoyi, whose low, teasing right-wing cross was poked in by Thomas at the far post}}
  • To create the environment where another phonological rule can apply.
  • :
  • Noun

  • (uncountable) Food given to (especially herbivorous) animals.
  • They sell feed , riding helmets, and everything else for horses.
  • Something supplied continuously.
  • a satellite feed
  • The part of a machine that supplies the material to be operated upon.
  • the paper feed of a printer
  • (countable) A gathering to eat, especially in quantity
  • They held a crab feed on the beach.
  • (Internet) Encapsulated online content, such as news or a blog, that can be subscribed to.
  • I've subscribed to the feeds of my favourite blogs, so I can find out when new posts are added without having to visit those sites.
    Derived terms
    * atom feed * data feed * live Internet feed * Internet feed * RSS feed, syndication feed * Web feed

    Derived terms

    * bite the hand that feeds one * chicken feed * feed dog * feeding frenzy * feed one's face * feedstock * * misfeed * off one's feed * overfeed * underfeed

    Etymology 2

    + -(e)d