ˈ ̷ ̷| ̷ ̷ transitive verb
1. : to feed (another) by means of a spoon
2.
a. : to present (a thing) or to present a thing to (a person or group) so thoroughly or wholeheartedly as to preclude the need of independent thought, initiative, or self-reliance on the part of the recipient
spoon-feed material to students
poet should do all the work and spoon-feed his reader — Fortnightly Review
claiming that you can prepare Indians for freedom by … spoon-feeding them — Senior Scholastic
b. : to present (information) or to present information to (a person or group) in a slanted version and with the intention of precluding questioning or revision on the part of the recipient
spoon-feeding propaganda through the public schools — Newsweek
fought … for free thought against spoon-fed thought — Punch
the general public is being spoon-fed … more and more propaganda — Richard LaCoste
a spoon-fed press
intransitive verb
1. : to feed oneself or another by means of a spoon
2.
a. : to present a thing so thoroughly or wholeheartedly as to preclude the need of independent thinking, initiative, or self-reliance on the part of the recipient
our spoon-feeding pedagogy — H.G.Rickover
b. : to present information in a slanted version and with the intention of precluding questioning or revision on the part of the recipient
altogether too much bureaucratic spoon-feeding about these proposals — Contemporary Review
c. : to accept passively that which has been spoon-fed
has self-reliance superseded spoon-feeding — Irish Statesman