Word forms: 3rd person singular presenttense spoon-feeds, present participle spoon-feeding, past tense, past participle spoon-fed
1. verb [usually passive]
If you think that someone is being given too much help with something and is not making enough effort themselves, you can say they are being spoon-fed.
[disapproval]
Some students are unwilling to really work. They want to be spoon-fed. [beVERB-ed]
They've been spoon-fed, provided with a house, servants, bank balance. [beVERB-ed]
2. verb [usually passive]
If you say that someone is spoon-fed ideas or information, you mean that they are told about them and are expected to accept them without questioning them.
[disapproval]
They were less willing to be spoon-fed doctrines from other governments. [beVERB-ed noun]
The children who were spoon-fed consumerism have discovered that the years of excessare over. [beVERB-ed noun]
3. verb
If you spoon-feed a small child or a sick person, you feed them using a spoon.
Until I got better, he spoon-fed me and did everything around the house. [VERB noun]
Synonyms: mollycoddle, spoil, cosset, baby More Synonyms of spoon-feed
spoon-feed in British English
verbWord forms: -feeds, -feeding or -fed(transitive)
1.
to feed with a spoon
2.
to overindulge or spoil
3.
to provide (a person) with ready-made opinions, judgments, etc, depriving him or her of original thought or action
spoon-feed in American English
(ˈspunˈfid)
verb transitiveWord forms: ˈspoon-ˈfed or ˈspoon-ˈfeeding
1.
to feed with a spoon
2.
to pamper; coddle
3.
to treat, instruct, or inform in a manner that destroys initiative or curbs independent thought and action