suckling 1 of 2

Definition of sucklingnext

suckling

2 of 2

verb

present participle of suckle
as in nursing
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

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of suckling
Noun
As the deck crew struggles to keep their head above water, Josh spends two days on a cochinillo, a Spanish-style suckling pig. Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 2 Dec. 2025 The quiet, rhythmic suckling that babies do when feeding. Aisha Muharrar, Bon Appetit Magazine, 2 Oct. 2025
Verb
The pups have the epicurean delight of suckling one of the highest fat-content milks in the animal kingdom. John Metcalfe, Mercury News, 24 Nov. 2025 Those people under him are suckling on his piggly-wiggly titties. David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 10 Nov. 2025 See All Example Sentences for suckling
Recent Examples of Synonyms for suckling
Noun
  • The campaign focuses on supporting NICU infants with products designed alongside nurses and doctors to meet their specific needs.
    Jackson Thompson OutKick, FOXNews.com, 30 Apr. 2026
  • The Safe Havens Act, which was enacted 25 years ago, allows a parent to give up their infant to hospital emergency room staff anonymously and without the threat of prosecution.
    Mikayla Bunnell, Hartford Courant, 30 Apr. 2026
Verb
  • Meanwhile, outfielder Austin Hays, who also is nursing a hamstring injury, is ready for a rehab assignment starting Saturday at Triple-A Charlotte.
    Jeff Vorva, Chicago Tribune, 25 Apr. 2026
  • Luka Doncic, nursing a left hamstring injury, even took off his white jacket during the dramatic overtime.
    Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 25 Apr. 2026
Noun
  • Each newborn weighed between 2 and 3 lbs.
    Hannah Sacks, PEOPLE, 30 Apr. 2026
  • Then the mama cat gets up and steps away from her newborns for a moment.
    Hanna Wickes, Kansas City Star, 27 Apr. 2026
Noun
  • The connection between the films goes far beyond the presence of a foundling.
    Richard Brody, New Yorker, 27 Mar. 2026
  • When Heathcliff, a foundling, discovers that Cathy Earnshaw, the daughter of the impoverished Yorkshire lord who’s taken him in, has played a prank on him by putting eggs in his beds to be crushed, the boy plunges his fingers into the slippery puddle of yolk and albumen left behind.
    Alison Willmore, Vulture, 9 Feb. 2026
Noun
  • For studies measuring neonates’ looking time at faces, this included 667 infants, half of them boys and half of them girls.
    Lise Eliot, The Conversation, 20 Apr. 2026
  • Number two, what a little time and compassion can do for neonates and orphans.
    Jen Reeder, Forbes.com, 15 Jan. 2026
Noun
  • With its polished English oak paneling and ornate Louis XIV-style wrought-iron balustrades presided over by a torch-wielding bronze cherub, the opulent atrium is remembered by historians as both the main thoroughfare and architectural crown jewel of the legendary liner.
    Jordan Runtagh, PEOPLE, 20 Apr. 2026
  • The Orient Express Apartment has a monumental sculpted fireplace, wood marquetry floors, and 18th-century mirrors, while the Cherubini Suite is crowned by a 1958 chandelier by Carlo Scarpa and frescoes depicting cherubs.
    Laura Itzkowitz, Travel + Leisure, 3 Apr. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Suckling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/suckling. Accessed 2 May. 2026.

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