breed
verb
\
\;
breeding
Definition of breed
(Entry 1 of 2)
breed
nounDefinition of breed (Entry 2 of 2)
Keep scrolling for more
Synonyms for breed
Synonyms: Verb
multiply, procreate, propagate, reproduce
Synonyms: Noun
class, description, feather, genre, ilk, kidney, kind, like, manner, nature, order, sort, species, strain, stripe, type, variety
Visit the Thesaurus for More
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
Pelican numbers surge again during the summer as birds return from breeding grounds, generally peaking in late summer. — Ernie Cowan, San Diego Union-Tribune, "Pelican odd by design, graceful in flight," 13 June 2019 The Central Florida Zoo's Orianne Center for Indigo Conservation bred and hatched the snakes, which are listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act. — Tiffini Theisen, orlandosentinel.com, "Free the snakes: Florida scientists release America’s longest snakes into the wild," 12 June 2019 Such a contrasting pattern, which may become more common in a warming world, breeds storminess. — The Washington Post, The Mercury News, "US just topped 125-year-old, 12-month rainfall total," 10 June 2019 Edge Opportunity’ ‘Edge opportunity’ Seed and pesticide giant Bayer, which bought U.S. seed purveyor Monsanto this year, is breeding corn plants to be faster-maturing to produce crops in cooler climates. — Jacob Bunge, WSJ, "A Warming Climate Brings New Crops to Frigid Zones," 25 Nov. 2018 Schools are breeding grounds for germs and infections, which means back-to-school time often comes with a whole slew of colds and illnesses. — Lindsay Carlton, Fox News, "Back-to-school germs 101: What you need to know," 7 Sep. 2018 While antiterrorism experts consider the countries to be breeding grounds for violent extremism, the Supreme Court’s ruling will do nothing to hasten the end of the underlying conflicts there. — New York Times, "Trump Travel Ban: How It Affects the Countries," 26 June 2018 Unfortunately, the crabs’ numbers have declined precipitously, and the birds haven’t been breeding as much as before. — Aaron Gilbreath, Longreads, "Will Big Pharma Help Save Some of the Oldest Marine Life on Earth?," 17 May 2018 Before, it was thought that bowhead whales were very similar to their humpback cousins, which are widely studied in breeding grounds near Mexico and Hawaii. — Cleve R. Wootson Jr., chicagotribune.com, "Scientists discover a whale species' mating songs are as complex as jazz," 4 Apr. 2018Recent Examples on the Web: Noun
Each event includes fun raffle prizes for pets and their owners that benefit Last Hope K9, a nonprofit, all-breed dog rescue based in Massachusetts. — Necee Regis, BostonGlobe.com, "Here, there, and everywhere," 11 June 2019 Inver Grove Heights will open up its only off-leash dog park — a 10-acre pooch playground, with one acre set aside for small breed dogs — during a public event from 5 to 7 p.m. Tuesday. — Nick Ferraro, Twin Cities, "Former polluted land in Inver Grove Heights now a dog park," 10 June 2019 Or meet the resident hens, sheep, alpaca, heritage-breed pigs, and Dexter and Jethro, the farm’s very small steers. — Max Falkowitz, New York Times, "A Day at Queens Farm (and the Restaurants You Should Dig Into Afterward)," 5 June 2019 While the indignities of air travel are as immutable as the physics that keep you airborne, the designers of these new-breed airports have found ways to inject beauty, efficiency and even fun into your travels. — Matthew Kronsberg, WSJ, "New Airport Terminals Where Killing Time Has Its Perks," 30 Apr. 2019 Chef Dan Barber, of Blue Hill at Stone Barns, tells me that older-breed chickens both are better at foraging and lay fewer eggs, which are richer and more concentrated. — Tamar Adler, Vogue, "Why Pastured Eggs Are the Perfect Food," 13 Sep. 2018 Pookie and Beau, her mixed-breed rescues, watched strangers approach warily. — Scott Wilson, Anchorage Daily News, "The earth cracked open. Walls of lava encroached. That’s just life on a Hawaiian volcano.," 20 May 2018 In a city once home to the Broad Street Bullies, Gaethje and Barboza are ready to usher in a new breed of bruisers. — Dan Gelston, The Seattle Times, "Broad Street Bullies: UFC set to hit Philly for 3rd time," 29 Mar. 2019 Instead, what doomed the jet was something altogether different—a new breed of smaller jets that could bypass those giant airports in the first place. — Robert Wall, WSJ, "Airports Worried the A380 Was Too Big. Turns Out, That Wasn’t the Problem.," 14 Feb. 2019These 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.
Keep scrolling for more
Keep scrolling for more
More Definitions for breed
breed
verb
English Language Learners Definition of breed
(Entry 1 of 2)
breed
nounEnglish Language Learners Definition of breed (Entry 2 of 2)
See the full definition for breed in the English Language Learners Dictionary
breed
verb
\
Kids Definition of breed
(Entry 1 of 2)
breed
nounKids Definition of breed (Entry 2 of 2)
breed
verb
\
\;
breeding
Medical Definition of breed
(Entry 1 of 2)
breed
nounMedical Definition of breed (Entry 2 of 2)
Keep scrolling for more
Comments on breed
What made you want to look up breed? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).
Test Your Vocabulary
Words for Summer: A Quiz
-
- Which of the following words means “of or relating to summer”?
Test your vocabulary with our 10-question quiz!
TAKE THE QUIZ
Test Your Knowledge - and learn some interesting things along the way.
TAKE THE QUIZ
Share breed
Resources for breed