breed

1 of 2

verb

ˈbrēd 

bred ˈbred  ; breeding

transitive verb

1

: to produce (offspring) by hatching or gestation

yet every mother breeds not sons alike

—Shakespeare

2

a

: beget sense 1

He bred a daughter.

b

: produce, engender

despair often breeds violence

3

biology : to propagate (plants or animals) sexually and usually under controlled conditions

bred several strains of corn together to produce a superior variety

4

a

: bring up, nurture

We were born and bred in the country.

b

: to inculcate by training

breed good manners into one's children

5

a

: mate entry 4 sense 3

the business of breeding cattle

a horse that is bred to a donkey

b

: to mate with : inseminate

c

: impregnate sense 2

delivered her kittens 63 days after being bred

6

physics : to produce (a fissionable element) by bombarding a nonfissionable element with neutrons from a radioactive element

intransitive verb

1

a

: to produce offspring by sexual union

places where mosquitoes breed

b

: copulate, mate

2

: to propagate animals or plants

breed

2 of 2

noun

1

biology : a group of usually domesticated animals or plants presumably related by descent from common ancestors and visibly similar in most characters

exotic breeds of cats

retrievers and other popular dog breeds

2

: a number of persons of the same stock (see stock entry 1 sense 4a(1))

3

: class, kind

a new breed of athlete

such people are a dying breed

Synonyms

Verb

• multiply
• procreate
• propagate
• reproduce

Noun

• class
• description
• feather
• genre
• ilk
• kidney
• kind
• like
• manner
• nature
• order
• sort
• species
• strain
• stripe
• type
• variety

Examples of breed in a Sentence

Verb

He got into the business of breeding cattle.

The plants are bred to resist disease and drought.

She believes that we are breeding a generation of children who know nothing about the history of their country.

Noun

The collie is a working breed.

a new breed of athlete

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

Along with its kidney, the NYU pig, bred by United Therapeutics, also provided its thymus, an organ of the immune system. —Karen Weintraub, USA TODAY, 24 Apr. 2024

Gnats are attracted to warm, moist environments and breed in damp areas, so reduce or eliminate areas where water collects in your yard and house. —The Arizona Republic, 23 Apr. 2024

All of the hides were from caiman and pythons bred in captivity. —Joshua Goodman, Quartz, 22 Apr. 2024

Because donkeys breed slowly—a jennet typically produces a foal only every other year—the drain is rapidly depleting Africa’s herd. —Michael Schuman, The Atlantic, 21 Apr. 2024

Battered by 175 mph wind speeds, White and his wife rode out the storm inside a hurricane shelter with 120 captive, breeding pairs of parrots, protecting them from the storm. —David Schechter, CBS News, 18 Apr. 2024

The broad consensus that economic globalization would inevitably breed liberal democratic values proved false. —David Lammy, Foreign Affairs, 17 Apr. 2024

Efforts are underway to breed coral that tolerate higher temperatures. —Catrin Einhorn, New York Times, 15 Apr. 2024

Umer Asif The common teal is one of more than 90 species of birds that have come to breed and feed in Kashmir over the years. —Umer Asif, The Christian Science Monitor, 12 Apr. 2024

Noun

The breed tends to roam so should be kept in a secure fence. —The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, arkansasonline.com, 7 Apr. 2024

Unlike cellphone batteries, which consume much of the volume and weight of the overall product, the new breed of stretchable batteries is expected to be virtually invisible. —IEEE Spectrum, 5 Apr. 2024

Essentially, a good rule of thumb for the size is to follow how big the dog breed is between small, medium, and large. —Amber Smith, Discover Magazine, 3 Apr. 2024

From helping with copy editing to surfacing insights buried in vast troves of data, the latest breed of AI can and in some cases already is equipping journalists with powerful tools to elevate their craft. —Jackie Snow, Quartz, 28 Mar. 2024

The flexibility to ideate and run with new ideas breeds proactivity, an important driving force for promotion. —Alan Price, Forbes, 28 Mar. 2024

Germany’s agriculture ministry denied that the new draft bill would amount to a ban on particular breeds, including the sausage dog. —Frederik Pleitgen, CNN, 27 Mar. 2024

While my dog weighs only 30 pounds, shoppers with larger breeds similarly praised the bed for its joint support benefits. —Ali Faccenda, Peoplemag, 27 Mar. 2024

Here's a snapshot of the top 10 breeds this year: After Frenchies, the most common breeds registered were Labs, golden retrievers, German shepherds and poodles. —CBS News, 20 Mar. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Middle English breden, from Old English brēdan; akin to Old English brōd brood

Noun

noun derivative of breed entry 1

First Known Use

Verb

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Noun

1553, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing breed

• a breed apart
• breed to
• dying breed
• half-breed
• rare breed

Kids Definition

breed

1 of 2 verb

ˈbrēd 

bred ˈbred  ; breeding

1

: to produce (plants or animals) by sexual reproduction

breed cattle

2

: to produce offspring by sexual reproduction

3

: bring up sense 1, train

born and bred in this town

4

: bring about, cause

familiarity breeds contempt

5

: to produce (a fissionable element) by bombarding an element that is not fissionable with neutrons from a radioactive element so that more fissionable material is produced than is used up

breeder noun

breed

2 of 2 noun

1

: a group of animals or plants usually found only under human care and different from related kinds

a breed of cattle

2

: kind, class

Medical Definition

breed

1 of 2 verb

ˈbrēd 

bred ˈbred  ; breeding

transitive verb

1

: to produce (offspring) by hatching or gestation

2

: to propagate (plants or animals) sexually and usually under controlled conditions

3

a

: mate

b

: to mate with : inseminate

c

: impregnate sense 1

intransitive verb

1

a

: to produce offspring by sexual union

b

: copulate, mate

2

: to propagate animals or plants

breed

2 of 2 noun

: a group of animals or plants presumably related by descent from common ancestors and visibly similar in most characters

especially : such a group differentiated from the wild type under domestication