\ ˈbrēd
\
\
bred\
ˈbred
\; breeding
\; breeding
Definition of breed
(Entry 1 of 2)
1
: to produce (offspring) by hatching or gestation
yet every mother breeds not sons alike— Shakespeare
2a
: beget sense 1
He bred a daughter.
3
biology
: to propagate (plants or animals) sexually and usually under controlled conditions
bred several strains of corn together to produce a superior variety
b
: to inculcate by training
breed good manners into one's children
5a
: 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
2
: to propagate animals or plants
breed
nounDefinition of breed (Entry 2 of 2)
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))
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Synonyms for breed
Synonyms: Verb
Synonyms: 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
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Recent Examples on the Web: Verb
Thousands of humpbacks visit Maui’s shores to breed and give birth in the warm waters.
—
Sarah Sekula, USA TODAY, "Astrotourism: These resorts will have you seeing stars," 25 Mar. 2021
Desert tortoises typically only come out to eat, breed and enjoy nice weather.
—
Shanti Lerner, The Arizona Republic, "'They make fantastic and personable pets': How to adopt a desert tortoise in Arizona," 9 Mar. 2021
The birds return to land only to breed and raise their young.
—
Eoin Mcsweeney, CNN, "This face-planting albatross in New Zealand is the laugh we all need," 9 Mar. 2021
Many of those nesting banks are warming quickly, and the temperature zone where the European falcons breed is likely to move out into the Arctic Ocean within decades.
—
Philip Kiefer, Popular Science, "A peregrine falcon’s power to migrate may lie in its DNA," 4 Mar. 2021
In winter, more than 1 million shorebirds that breed in the Arctic will visit and move throughout the coastline of northwest Mexico.
—
Julián García Walther, The Conversation, "Scientist at work: Tracking the epic journeys of migratory birds in northwest Mexico," 3 Mar. 2021
This year, the study of conspiracy theories has become more urgent, as the pandemic has heightened the conditions—panic and isolation—that breed conspiracy thinking.
—
Sheelah Kolhatkar, The New Yorker, "A Tycoon’s Deep-State Conspiracy Dive," 7 Dec. 2020
Past efforts to breed Sumatran rhinos in captivity have been spectacularly unsuccessful.
—
Henry Nicholls, Scientific American, "Rhinoceros Undergoes Assisted Reproduction to Rescue Species from Extinction," 30 May 2012
The collar comes in four sizes, from extra-small to large, to fit any dog breed.
—
Jennifer Aldrich, Better Homes & Gardens, "Dog and Cat Owners Will Want Everything From Chewy's New Disney Collection," 15 Mar. 2021
Recent Examples on the Web: Noun
The base Chromecast devices are something of a dying breed, though.
—
Kevin Luna, chicagotribune.com, "What is Chromecast?," 6 Mar. 2021
Both companies offer best-of-breed communications APIs, so a partnership just made sense.
—
Serenity Gibbons, Forbes, "5 Tips To Make Tech Partnerships Your UX Secret Weapon," 2 Mar. 2021
In his nearly 40-year career in politics, including a decade in the state Senate, Peterson made the most headlines for breaking from his party in places where rank-breakers are a dying breed.
—
Briana Bierschbach, Star Tribune, "A 'giant' in DFL politics, Collin Peterson reflects on three decades in Congress," 6 Feb. 2021
Such dinosaurs are a dying breed, but Nurkic is more than impactful doing traditional center duties such as scoring in the post, rebounding and often operating beautifully in the pick and roll with Lillard.
—
oregonlive, "Were Neil Olshey’s flurry of roster moves enough to build contender around Damian Lillard? Portland Trail Blazers roster analysis," 24 Nov. 2020
In another case involving French bulldogs — a popular breed in the Los Angeles area — two people were arrested earlier this month in connection with a theft in Redondo Beach.
—
Matt Stiles, Los Angeles Times, "Happy ending to latest dog theft: French bulldog puppy found after North Hollywood robbery," 27 Mar. 2021
Now, scientists have pinned down the genetic mutation that likely causes this breed to have this strange form of locomotion.
—
Elizabeth Pennisi, Science | AAAS, "This rabbit walks on its ‘hands.’ Scientists think they’ve found the genetic reason why," 25 Mar. 2021
To some, that's a nice way of acknowledging the breed can be aggressive.
—
Frank Witsil, Detroit Free Press, "Rottweiler is now the most popular dog breed in Detroit, American Kennel Club announces," 16 Mar. 2021
The staff at HeartBrand Beef, which specializes in the Japanese breed of Akaushi beef in Gonzales County near Harwood, is one example.
—
Chuck Blount, Paul Stephen, San Antonio Express-News, "San Antonio's small farmers and ranchers say polar vortex killed most crops, lots of livestock," 1 Mar. 2021
See MoreThese example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'breed.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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Dictionary Entries near breed
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Last Updated
14 Apr 2021
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Cite this Entry
“Breed.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/breed. Accessed 16 Apr. 2021.
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More Definitions for breed
breed
verb
English Language Learners Definition of breed
(Entry 1 of 2)
: to keep and take care of animals or plants in order to produce more animals or plants of a particular kind
: to produce young animals, birds, etc. : to produce offspring by sexual reproduction
: to take care of and teach (a child who is growing up)
breed
nounEnglish Language Learners Definition of breed (Entry 2 of 2)
: a particular kind of dog, cat, horse, etc. : a kind of animal that has been produced by breeding
: a kind of person
See the full definition for breed in the English Language Learners Dictionary
breed
verb
\ ˈbrēd
\
\
bred\
ˈbred
\; breeding
Kids Definition of breed
(Entry 1 of 2)
breed
nounKids Definition of breed (Entry 2 of 2)
1
: a kind of animal or plant that is found only under human care and is different from related kinds
a breed of long-haired dogs
2
: class entry 1 sense 6, kind
I don't like his breed of humor.
breed
verb
\ ˈbrēd
\
\
bred\
ˈbred
\; breeding
\; breeding
Medical Definition of breed
(Entry 1 of 2)
1
: to produce (offspring) by hatching or gestation
2
: to propagate (plants or animals) sexually and usually under controlled conditions
2
: to propagate animals or plants
breed
nounMedical Definition of breed (Entry 2 of 2)
: 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
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Time Traveler for breed
The first known use of breed was before the 12th century
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