feedlot

American  

[feed-lot] / ˈfidˌlɒt /

Or feed lot

noun

1. a plot of ground, often near a stockyard, where livestock are gathered to be fattened for market.

2. a commercial establishment that operates a feedlot.

---

feedlot British  

/ ˈfiːdˌlɒt /

noun

1. an area or building where livestock are fattened rapidly for market

---

Etymology

Origin of feedlot

First recorded in 1885–90; feed + lot

Example Sentences

Not all Wisconsin cows are grass-fed, but grass-fed milk can have up to twice the beneficial Omega-3 fatty acids compared to milk from feedlot cows.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 14, 2026

Producers raise calves on pastures until they are old enough to be sold at auction to a feedlot.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 24, 2025

Truckers, feedlot operators and cattle ranchers face hits to their bottom line without the Lexington facility, which slaughters up to 5,000 cattle a day.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 23, 2025

Grazing cattle also produce more methane than feedlot cattle or dairy cows because they eat more fiber from grass.

From Science Daily • Dec. 2, 2024

I could not taste or smell the feed corn or the petroleum or the antibiotics or the hormones—or the feedlot manure, even though I knew they were there.

From "The Omnivore's Dilemma" by Michael Pollan