What’s the past tense of “feed”?
To use the verb feed correctly, one must understand its simple, but crucial, verb conjugations. Like many common English verbs that trace back to Old English, it doesn’t follow the standard rule of adding ‘-ed’ to form its past tense.
| tense | examples: forms of “feed”, in sentences |
| simple present tense | I feed my dog twice a day. |
| simple past | She fed the birds in the park this morning. |
| present perfect | We have fed the baby already. |
The verb and action of feeding (present participle), describes “giving food to a person or animal,” as stated by the online Oxford Learner’s Dictionary. Its verb forms are the following:
- To feed is in the simple present tense.
- Fed is the simple past.
- Has/had/have fed is the past participle form.
Other verbs with one past conjugation
| base verb | past tense | past participle |
| bleed | bled | bled |
| feed | fed | fed |
| speed | sped | sped |
| lead | led | led |
| read | read | read |
Remember that participles need a partner! The past participle “fed” is always paired with an auxiliary verb like ‘have’, ‘has’, or ‘had’ to form perfect tenses.
When to use simple past “fed” vs. past participle “fed”
He fed the cat before he left for work.
The cat had already been fed when he got home.
The participle form of a verb is not a tense on its own; it requires a helper verb to function correctly. In the second sentence, the auxiliary verb “had been” indicates that “fed” is being used as a past participle to form the past perfect tense in the passive voice. The simple past form, “fed,” stands alone to describe a completed action in the past and does not need an auxiliary.
Feed and fed, used in sentences
| Word | Sentences |
|---|---|
| feed/feeds/feeding |
What do you feed your dog? She has a large family to feed. He feeds the chickens every morning at sunrise. The baby is feeding right now. |
| fed |
I fed the baby just before her nap. She had fed the horses their hay before the storm rolled in. The lions were fed raw meat by the zookeeper. |
Synonyms of feed
- nourish
- sustain
- provide for
- supply
- cater to
- nurture
Idioms and phrases with feed
- To feed someone a line (to deceive or mislead someone)
- To bite the hand that feeds you (to harm someone who has been kind to you)
- To be fed up with something (to be tired of or annoyed by something)
- To feed the frenzy (to make a situation more chaotic or intense)
The history of feed
From etymology online on feed (v.):
Old English fedan “nourish, give food to, sustain, foster” (transitive), from Proto-Germanic *fodjan “to give food”.
Practice: feed or fed
Yesterday, she ______ the ducks at the pond.
Have you ______ the cat yet this morning?
It’s important to ______ your pets a healthy diet.
He ______ the parking meter with quarters before leaving.
The animals had been ______ right before the zoo closed.
FAQs
What is the simple past tense of feed?
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What verb form is fed?
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When is the verb ‘fed’ used?
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When is ‘fed’ used as a past participle?
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Yash, D. "How to Use Feed vs. Fed (Explanation, Examples & Worksheet)." Grammarflex, Aug 4, 2025, https://grammarflex.com/feed-vs-fed/.
