fed
fed Lexical Profile
fed Game Scores & Validity
• verb
To have given food to or provided nourishment for a person or animal (past tense and past participle of feed).
"She fed the stray cats on her porch every morning before leaving for work."
To have supplied or introduced material, data, or power into a machine, system, or process (past tense and past participle of feed).
"The technician fed the historical weather data into the climate simulation model."
• adjective
Having been provided with food or nourishment (often used in combination, such as grass-fed or well-fed).
"The restaurant specializes in locally sourced, grass-fed beef and organic vegetables."
• noun
American The Federal Reserve System, the central banking system of the United States (usually capitalized and preceded by 'the').
"Economists expect the Fed to hold interest rates steady at its next policy meeting."
American An informal term for an agent or official of the United States federal government, especially a federal law enforcement officer such as an FBI agent.
"Local police handed jurisdiction over to the feds once the investigation crossed state lines."
Word Nuance & Usage
When capitalized as "the Fed," the noun refers specifically to the Federal Reserve System (the central bank of the United States); in lowercase (usually plural "the feds"), it is an informal term for federal law enforcement agents.
• Rhymes for fed
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
As a verb and adjective, it derives from Old English 'fedde', the past tense of 'fedan' (to feed). The noun senses are 20th-century American shortenings of 'federal' and 'Federal Reserve'.