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

Tree Hollows Tree hollows can collect rainwater and provide the perfect place for mosquitoes to breed. —Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 25 Apr. 2025

The mosquitoes can breed in standing water, so public health officials are asking that county residents allow vector control technicians to provide free inspections and advice, Nolasco said. —Caelyn Pender, Mercury News, 25 Apr. 2025

Noun

The Boykin spaniel is a medium-sized sporting breed developed in South Carolina in the early 1900s. —Thomas G. Moukawsher, MSNBC Newsweek, 26 Apr. 2025

The eminence whom the film casts as the prime mover of benevolent governance is Nelson Rockefeller, a liberal Republican (the breed wasn’t uncommon then) who was the state’s governor from 1959 to 1973. —Richard Brody, New Yorker, 23 Apr. 2025

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

Rhymes for breed

• bead
• bleed
• brede
• cede
• creed
• deed
• feed
• freed
• greed
• heed
• keyed
• knead

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