breed

play

verb \ ˈbrēd \

Definition of breed

bred play \ˈbred\; breeding

transitive verb

1 :to produce (offspring) by hatching or gestation

yet every mother breeds not sons alike
—Shakespeare

2 a :beget 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 :⁴mate 3

the business of breeding cattle

a horse that is bred to a donkey

b :to mate with :inseminate

c :impregnate 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

See breed defined for English-language learners

See breed defined for kids

Examples of breed in a Sentence

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.

Recent Examples of breed from the Web

Florida is a hub for pigeon racing, with many in Miami having bred and trained birds in Cuba.

— david ovalle, miamiherald, "Racing pigeons and murder: A Miami trial casts spotlight on niche sport," 29 Aug. 2017
Europeans had introduced rabbits to Australia at the end of the 18th century, whereupon the fuzzy critters started breeding like, well, y’know.

— ed yong, The Atlantic, "The Next Chapter in a Viral Arms Race," 14 Aug. 2017
The only Washington-bred to win an Eclipse Award 3.

— scott hanson, The Seattle Times, "Here in the Northwest, the Longacres Mile is as big as it gets," 10 Aug. 2017
Frustration with trade and financial integration often breeds left-wing populism, which feeds off class divisions in society; Latin American populism tends to fall into this category.

— The Economist, "The power of populists," 20 July 2017
After breeding, the female lays her eggs on a small branch of a hardwood tree.

— jefferson county cooperative extension, AL.com, "Danger follows the buzz of summer (Garden Talk)," 18 July 2017
Responsible humans are completely capable of keeping their pets from breeding.

— patty khuly, miamiherald, "Spay or neuter your dog? Vet says you don’t have to but you should," 13 July 2017
This all-breed American Kennel Club Dog Show is at the Expo Center at the South Florida Fairgrounds, 9067 Southern Blvd.

— jennifer jhon, South Florida Parenting, "Things to do with the kids this weekend: Free splash event, Cirque show," 12 July 2017
Is Tiffany behind it all, bred from birth for vengeance like Mordred to Marla Maples' Morgan Le Fay?

— charles p. pierce, Esquire, "How Much More Absurdity Can You Handle?," 11 July 2017

These 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.

Origin and Etymology of breed

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

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: before 12th century

See Words from the same year

breed Synonyms

Synonyms

procreate, multiply, propagate, reproduce

Related Words

bear, beget, engender, gender, generate, get, have, mother, parent, produce, sire; hatch, spawn

Near Antonyms

abuse, ill-treat, ill-use, maltreat, mishandle, mistreat; ignore, neglect; harm, hurt, injure

breed

noun

Definition of breed

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 ¹stock 5b(1))

3 :class, kind

a new breed of athlete

such people are a dying breed

See breed defined for English-language learners

Examples of breed in a Sentence

The collie is a working breed.
a new breed of athlete

Recent Examples of breed from the Web

With the body-acceptance movement comes a new breed of stars, stars with bodies that don’t fit the old mold.

— ashley c. ford, The Cut, "The Fashion Industry Can No Longer Afford to Ignore the Plus-Size Market," 7 Aug. 2017
In India, where there are hundreds of banana breeds, the Cavendish is known as the hotel banana.

— written by annie correal; photographs by vincent tullo, New York Times, "The Secret Life of the City Banana," 4 Aug. 2017
Most herds are comprised of Holstein cows, a breed that produces high output with lower milk-fat content, said Tom Bailey, an executive director of dairy research for Rabobank in New York.

— megan durisin, Bloomberg.com, "Europe’s Butter Mountain Has Melted Away," 27 July 2017
German Shepherd was the second most popular dog breed in Alabama.

— AL.com, "3 most popular dog breeds in Alabama," 26 June 2017
French bulldogs were the second-most popular breed in California while bulldogs took second-place in Nevada.

— AL.com, "3 most popular dog breeds in Alabama," 26 June 2017
Genetic signatures the felines had on those journeys are still seen in most modern-day breeds.

— Washington Post, "Science Says: DNA shows early spread of cats in human world," 20 June 2017
Genetic signatures the felines had on those journeys are still seen in most modern-day breeds.

— Washington Post, "Science Says: DNA shows early spread of cats in human world," 20 June 2017
Creating its own breed of cantaloupe — and potentially enlisting a number of growers to produce it — made particular sense for Wal-Mart because of the retailer's size, breeders said.

— abha bhattarai, chicagotribune.com, "Wal-Mart's answer to Aldi and Amazon: 'designer' cantaloupe," 19 June 2017

Origin and Etymology of breed

see ¹breed

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1553

See Words from the same year

breed Synonyms

Synonyms

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

Related Words

model; sample, specimen; bracket, bunch, category, division, family, grade, group, grouping, lot, persuasion, rank (s), set, suite

Other Genetics Terms

chimera, hermaphrodite, plasticity

BREED Defined for English Language Learners

breed

play

verb

Definition of breed for English Language Learners

: 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

noun

Definition of breed for English Language Learners

: a particular kind of dog, cat, horse, etc. : a kind of animal that has been produced by breeding
: a kind of person

BREED Defined for Kids

breed

play

verb \ ˈbrēd \

Definition of breed for Students

bred \ˈbred\; breeding

1 :to produce or increase (animals or plants) by sexual reproduction

Ranchers breed cattle for market.

2 :to produce offspring by sexual reproduction

Mosquitoes breed in damp areas.

3 :to bring up :train

I was born and bred in this town.

4 :to bring about :cause

Poverty breeds despair.

—

breeder

noun

breed

noun

Definition of breed for Students

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 :¹class 6, kind I don't like his breed of humor.

Medical Dictionary

breed

play

verb \ ˈbrēd \

medical Definition of breed

bred play \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 1

intransitive verb

1 a :to produce offspring by sexual union

b :copulate, mate

2 :to propagate animals or plants

breed

noun

medical Definition of breed

: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

Learn More about breed

See words that rhyme with breed Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for breed Spanish Central: Translation of breed Nglish: Translation of breed for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of breed for Arabic speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about breed

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breed

Definition of breed

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Examples of breed in a Sentence

Recent Examples of breed from the Web

Origin and Etymology of breed

breed Synonyms

Synonyms

Related Words

Near Antonyms

breed

Definition of breed

Examples of breed in a Sentence

Recent Examples of breed from the Web

Origin and Etymology of breed

breed Synonyms

Synonyms

Related Words

Other Genetics Terms

Phrases Related to BREED

Related Phrases

BREED Defined for English Language Learners

breed

Definition of breed for English Language Learners

breed

Definition of breed for English Language Learners

BREED Defined for Kids

breed

Definition of breed for Students

breeder

breed

Definition of breed for Students

Medical Dictionary

breed

medical Definition of breed

breed

medical Definition of breed

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