suckle

USAGE SUMMARY

"suckle" is a correct and usable word in written English.
You can use it to describe the act of an infant nursing at its mother's breast. For example: "The newborn suckled at his mother's breast."

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Encyclopedias

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

58 human-written examples

They discovered early on that the problem with philanthropy in Africa was finding partners "on the ground" reliable enough to do the work and not just suckle on the milksome teat of Seattle.

The Economist

SPERM whale mothers live into their 70s and suckle each of their young for up to 13 years.

The Economist

BLOATED bellies with stick arms and legs; huge eyes staring out of skeletal heads; gaunt mothers trying to suckle babies on withered breasts.

The Economist

Some women are so malnourished that they have no milk to suckle their babies.

The Economist

The females have mammary glands, and they suckle their offspring.

Encyclopedia Britannica

Other examples include: Female lions (Panthera leo) appear to nurse cubs that are not their own, although some authorities note that such cubs suckle the lioness when she is asleep.

Encyclopedia Britannica

The dam will instinctively suckle and protect her young, often keeping other dogs and all but the most trusted people away from the whelping box.

Encyclopedia Britannica

The joeys complete their development over the next 75 80 days inside the pouch, where they suckle milk from their mother.

Encyclopedia Britannica

In one of his most famous lines he states: Would that a babe could die at the hour of its birth And never suckle from its mother in her confinement.

Encyclopedia Britannica

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

2 human-written examples

One pixie is assigned to each switchboard, and, from the sounds which come up over the extension when one tries to telephone between the hours of twelve and one, they are very old pixies who never were much good at steering a thistledown or ravishing a honey-suckle.

The New Yorker

"David left so many things behind, the beginnings of things," Richard Suckle, a longtime friend of the family, told me.

The New Yorker

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Use "suckle" when you specifically want to refer to the act of an infant or young animal drawing milk from a teat or breast. It adds a level of precision compared to more general terms like "feed".

Common error

Avoid using "suckle" interchangeably with general feeding terms like "feed" when the specific action of drawing milk from a teat or breast is not implied. Using "feed" in this context dilutes the precise meaning of "suckle".

Linguistic Context

The primary grammatical function of "suckle" is as a verb, describing the act of an infant or young animal drawing milk from its mother's breast or udder. Ludwig provides examples of its usage in various contexts, confirming its active role in sentences.

Expression frequency: Very common

Frequent in

News & Media

42%

Encyclopedias

33%

Science

25%

Less common in

Formal & Business

0%

Wiki

0%

Reference

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, "suckle" is a grammatically correct and frequently used verb that specifically describes the act of an infant or young animal drawing milk from its mother. As Ludwig shows, it appears most commonly in News & Media and Encyclopedias, and its usage is considered neutral in terms of formality. While alternatives like "breastfeed" or "nurse" exist, "suckle" provides a precise description of the feeding process. As Ludwig AI confirms, this term is both appropriate and readily understood in a wide array of writing contexts.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

breastfeed

Focuses specifically on feeding from the breast.

nurse

More general term for feeding a baby or young animal.

feed at the breast

Emphasizes the action of feeding at the breast.

give milk to

Highlights the act of providing milk.

nourish with milk

Focuses on the nutritional aspect of feeding.

provide sustenance to

A more formal way of describing the provision of nourishment.

lactate

Refers to the production of milk.

feed

A very general term, lacking the specificity of "suckle".

take nourishment from

Describes the infant's action of receiving nourishment.

draw milk from

Focuses on the extraction of milk.

FAQs

How do I use "suckle" in a sentence?

You can use "suckle" to describe an infant or animal feeding at the breast, such as "The baby began to suckle immediately after birth".

What are some alternatives to "suckle"?

Depending on the context, you can use alternatives like "breastfeed", "nurse", or "feed at the breast".

What is the difference between "suckle" and "nurse"?

"Nurse" is a broader term for feeding a baby or young animal, while "suckle" specifically refers to the act of drawing milk from a teat or breast. Thus, all instances of "suckle" are instances of nursing, but not all instances of nursing are "suckle".

Is "suckle" a formal or informal word?

"Suckle" is a neutral term that can be used in both formal and informal contexts. Its formality depends more on the overall tone of the writing rather than the word itself.