as in lineage
the line of ancestors from whom a person is descended
a family of good breeding that is well respected in the community
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in reproducing
to bring forth offspring
rabbits will breed very frequently unless they're kept separated
Synonyms & Similar Words
2
as in raising
to bring to maturity through care and education
he was bred to a life in the military by his father, himself an army captain
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in creating
to be the cause of (a situation, action, or state of mind)
this habit of favoring one employee over the others will breed resentment
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in sleeping
to engage in sexual intercourse
cats breeding outside our window made a horrible racket last night
Synonyms & Similar Words
5
as in planting
to set permanently in the consciousness or mind-set
parents who breed in their children a deep respect for people of all classes
Synonyms & Similar Words
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 breeding
Jim Higgins, jsonline.com, 5 Nov. 2025
The whales' communication can be disturbed by underwater noise made by humans, and the interference often deters them from certain crucial areas, like breeding and feeding locations.
—Rachel Raposas, PEOPLE, 4 Nov. 2025
Moná Thomas, PEOPLE, 29 Oct. 2025
Leaders who embrace it — by giving agency, reframing emotions and designing for imagination — are closer to breeding resilience and innovation.
—Melissa Jun Rowley, Rolling Stone, 28 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for breeding
Noun
The two rhinos have been paired as potential breeding partners via the multi-zoo Eastern Black Rhino Species Survival Plan.
—Jim Higgins, jsonline.com, 5 Nov. 2025
The whales' communication can be disturbed by underwater noise made by humans, and the interference often deters them from certain crucial areas, like breeding and feeding locations.
—Rachel Raposas, PEOPLE, 4 Nov. 2025
Verb
According to the Humane Society, as reported by the outlet, the elderly owners may have become overwhelmed when the cats continued breeding inside the small studio.
—Moná Thomas, PEOPLE, 29 Oct. 2025
Leaders who embrace it — by giving agency, reframing emotions and designing for imagination — are closer to breeding resilience and innovation.
—Melissa Jun Rowley, Rolling Stone, 28 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for breeding
Recent Examples of Synonyms for breeding
Noun
-
Directed by Alicia Núñez Puerto, the short interweaves migration, past history and menstruation, presenting lineage as something carried across oceans and generations.—
Callum McLennan,
Variety,
7 Nov. 2025
-
Breakker, real name Bronson Rechsteiner, is the son of Rick Steiner and nephew of Scott Steiner, giving him that wrestling lineage.—
Matthew Couden,
MSNBC Newsweek,
5 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
Also like the natural world, the Tyranids are patient, slowly devouring the edges of the galaxy and reproducing in unthinkable numbers in the darkness of space.—
Alan Bradley,
Space.com,
8 Nov. 2025
-
Women’s free labor in the home subsidized the profits of employers because workers’ families bore the cost of reproducing the future labor force.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
6 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
It is measured in the millions of students striving for opportunity—most of them raising children, working jobs, serving in uniform, or making rent and mortgage payments with other bills competing for their attention.—
Yolanda Watson Spiva,
Fortune,
8 Nov. 2025
-
One person might earn more while the other contributes in different but equally meaningful ways, like managing the home, raising kids and planning for the future.—
Annie Nova,
CNBC,
8 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
More than a foot of snow fell in Chicago within a few hours early Monday, creating dangerous travel conditions.—
Sirena Bergman,
MSNBC Newsweek,
10 Nov. 2025
-
In 2024, The Roybal School of Film and Television Magnet, also a fund of EIF, also joined as a new partnership school of the Mentorship Program, creating a path for Roybal students to become mentees.—
THR Staff,
HollywoodReporter,
10 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
The campaign reprises and expands the concept of the collection’s look book images unveiled earlier this year, which saw Michele’s tribe pictured on a bed, mainly sleeping but also occasionally playing the guitar, doing a crossword puzzle, taking selfies or having a snack.—
Sandra Salibian,
Footwear News,
6 Nov. 2025
-
Despite vacationing on a luxury yacht, Bronwyn spent the night sleeping on a pool chair on the deck rather than spending the night having to share a bed with Britani.—
Tom Smyth,
Vulture,
5 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
Thanks to the work of Joplin Cemetery Maintenance District Commissioner Sara Bell, that meant planting more than twice as many flags as cemetery administrators previously thought.—
Mark Dee,
Idaho Statesman,
11 Nov. 2025
-
But, as with most fruit trees, planting another cultivar nearby may increase production.—
Arricca Elin SanSone,
Southern Living,
10 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
Originally, back in 1948, Framingham was a town largely made up of people from European ancestry.—
Veronique Greenwood,
Time,
6 Nov. 2025
-
In 1854, California barred people of Asian ancestry from testifying against white people and, in 1880, from marrying white people.—
Equal Justice Initiative,
USA Today,
6 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
The two-day trial of ten people accused of sexist cyberbullying against France’s First Lady Brigitte Macron by propagating fake and malicious claims about her sexuality and gender began in Paris on Monday.—
Melanie Goodfellow,
Deadline,
27 Oct. 2025
-
The idea of waves propagating through a barrier has been around for a long time, since before the existence of quantum mechanics.—
Ethan Siegel,
Big Think,
8 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Breeding.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/breeding. Accessed 14 Nov. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share