as in to nurse
to give milk to from the breast
the image of a mother suckling her babe is a standard artistic symbol of maternal love and nurturing
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of suckle
Joan jumped on her leg in an attempt to get some and started to suckle the cheese.
—
Nina Turner, Newsweek, 30 Oct. 2024
After the birth, the infant was showing strong signs of suckling, and zoo staff thought that Kianga was providing excellent care, the release states.
—Grant Lancaster, arkansasonline.com, 7 Sep. 2024
But the government men botched their job: rather than dying, the twins were soon discovered by a she-wolf, who suckled them back to health.
—Michael Fontaine, Foreign Affairs, 15 Feb. 2016
The insects will have enough time to get used to their new home and then hopefully mate and burrow down to suckle at the roots of hazel trees.
—Elizabeth Weise, USA TODAY, 31 May 2024
See All Example Sentences for suckle
Nina Turner, Newsweek, 30 Oct. 2024
After the birth, the infant was showing strong signs of suckling, and zoo staff thought that Kianga was providing excellent care, the release states.
—Grant Lancaster, arkansasonline.com, 7 Sep. 2024
But the government men botched their job: rather than dying, the twins were soon discovered by a she-wolf, who suckled them back to health.
—Michael Fontaine, Foreign Affairs, 15 Feb. 2016
The insects will have enough time to get used to their new home and then hopefully mate and burrow down to suckle at the roots of hazel trees.
—Elizabeth Weise, USA TODAY, 31 May 2024
See All Example Sentences for suckle
Recent Examples of Synonyms for suckle
Verb
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While Sir Alex Ferguson and his players were still nursing hangovers from their epic Champions League final victory over Bayern Munich in May 1999, Cunha came into the world in the Brazilian state of Paraiba.—
Jack Lang,
New York Times,
29 May 2025
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Signs of a successful feeding routine include: Your newborn is nursing often.—
Melissa Willets,
Parents,
26 May 2025
Verb
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The class covers what to expect when initiating breastfeeding, skin-to-skin holding, positioning, deep latch techniques, pumps and pumping, and basic troubleshooting. — A Ready for Baby newborn care class takes place from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Tuesdays.—
Orlando Sentinel Staff,
The Orlando Sentinel,
29 May 2025
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The path to achieving this goal was already a digressive one, weaving together singing competitions, cloned dogs and a bald-capped Fielder breastfeeding from a giant puppet.—
Alison Herman,
Variety,
26 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Suckle.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/suckle. Accessed 5 Jun. 2025.
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