English UsageGrammar guide

Past Tense of Feed

“Feed” is an irregular verb. Its simple past and past participle are both “fed,” so the same form works in “I fed them yesterday” and “I have fed them already.”

Quick answer

The past tense of “feed” is “fed,” and the past participle is also “fed”: feed → fed → fed.

Key details

Confusion Familyirregular verb forms
Rule Familyverb inflection
Termsfeed, fed
Variant Scope“Feed” is irregular: its simple past and past participle are both “fed.”

Further guidance

Core difference

Simple past: “fed.” Past participle: “fed.”

Fast Test

Use “fed” for a finished past event and after perfect auxiliaries such as “has,” “have,” or “had.”

Usage Boundary

Do not form the ordinary past as “feeded”; the dictionary records “fed” for both past forms.

Sources and evidence

Sources are shown with the role they play in this guide. Historical or style-sensitive claims are kept within the evidence boundary described above.

  1. Feed — Cambridge Dictionary (opens in a new tab)Cambridge University Press · Direct dictionary evidence that “feed” is irregular with simple past and past participle “fed.”

Related guides

English Usage

Past Tense of Hear

“Hear” is irregular: hear → heard → heard. Forms such as “heared” are not the standard simple past or past participle.

English Usage

Past Tense of Keep

“Keep” is an irregular verb: the simple past is “kept,” and the past participle is also “kept.” Use the same form in ordinary past clauses and after auxiliaries where a participle is required; “keeped” is not the standard inflected form.

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