spoon-feed

See also: spoonfeed

English

Alternative forms

• spoonfeed

Etymology

spoon +‎ feed

Pronunciation

• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈspunˌfid/
• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈspuːnfiːd/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Hyphenation: spoon‧feed

Verb

spoon-feed (third-person singular simple present spoon-feeds, present participle spoon-feeding, simple past and past participle spoon-fed)

1. (intransitive) To help somebody (usually a baby or elder) to eat using a spoon; to feed using a spoon.
2. (transitive) To overly pamper or indulge (someone), so that they do not (or because they failed to) act or think for themselves.

   I can help you with your homework, but you must understand the concept, because I will not spoon-feed you.

3. (transitive) To give (something) in an overly pampering way, so that the recipients do not (or because they failed to) act or think for themselves.

   What do you mean "I don't know"? I'm practically spoon-feeding you the answer!

4. (transitive, intransitive) To explain (something, to someone) in simple words; to explain (it, to them) in words of one syllable; to spell (it) out (for them).

Translations

help somebody to eat using a spoon

• Bikol Central: hungit (bcl)
• Cebuano: hungit
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 用勺子餵／用勺子喂 (yòng sháozi wèi)

• Finnish: syöttää lusikalla
• Manx: beagh lesh spein
• Portuguese: dar de comer com colher
• Russian: корми́ть ложкой (kormítʹ ložkoj)
• Spanish: dar de comer con cuchara
• Swedish: skedmata (sv), mata (sv)
• Tagalog: subo

overly pamper or indulge someone

• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 溺愛／溺爱 (zh) (nì'ài), 嬌慣／娇惯 (zh) (jiāoguàn), 寵壞／宠坏 (zh) (chǒnghuài)

• Finnish: poispilata
• Portuguese: dar tudo mastigado
• Russian: ба́ловать (ru) (bálovatʹ), не́жить (ru) (néžitʹ)
• Spanish: please add this translation if you can

deliver information in as basic a manner as possible

• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 灌輸／灌输 (zh) (guànshū)

• Finnish: vääntää rautalangasta (fi)
• Hungarian: szájába rág (hu)
• Portuguese: mastigar (pt)
• Russian: растолко́вывать (ru) (rastolkóvyvatʹ), разжёвывать (razžóvyvatʹ)
• Spanish: masticar (es)
• Swedish: skedmata (sv), dalta (sv), klema (sv)

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked

• Dutch: ^{(please verify)} oplepelen (nl) (1)
• Slovak: ^{(please verify)} kŕmiť (1)