hybridize

verb

hy·​brid·​ize ˈhī-brə-ˌdīz How to pronounce hybridize (audio)
hybridized; hybridizing

transitive verb

: to cause to produce hybrids : interbreed

intransitive verb

: to produce hybrids
hybridization noun
hybridizer noun

Example Sentences

Recent Examples on the Web Exacerbating the problem is the bigleaf lupine will hybridize with the wild lupine and outcompete the pure native wild lupine. Jennifer Rude Klett, Journal Sentinel, 20 Apr. 2023 Antirrhinum species can hybridize rather easily across species barriers. Razib Khan, Discover Magazine, 27 July 2010 At the forefront of the phenomenon is the sportswear giant Adidas, which has been generous with its famous insignia, inviting mega-brands and superstar designers alike, not to mention skaters and hip-hop impresarios, to twist, turn, and otherwise hybridize the iconic trefoil. Tiziana Cardini, Vogue, 7 June 2022 These are roses that haven’t been hybridized (cross-bred with other plants). Erynn Hassinger, Country Living, 22 Feb. 2023 Another strategy is to hybridize species. Erik Stokstad, Science | AAAS, 19 Nov. 2020 Raymond Yoshimura would go on to hybridize several plants, including the Mission Bell azalea that became a popular draw for the nursery, Swanton said. Nathan Solisstaff Writer, Los Angeles Times, 26 Feb. 2023 One generation of random mating would generate HWE, but when populations hybridize in realistic scenarios this is not always a plausible assumption. Razib Khan, Discover Magazine, 16 Jan. 2012 The infected, who slowly hybridize with the parasites to become more impervious, may well be ineradicable as a species. Inkoo Kang, The New Yorker, 15 Jan. 2023 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'hybridize.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1845, in the meaning defined at transitive sense

Time Traveler
The first known use of hybridize was in 1845

Dictionary Entries Near hybridize

Cite this Entry

“Hybridize.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hybridize. Accessed 30 May. 2023.

Kids Definition

hybridize

verb
hy·​brid·​ize ˈhī-brə-ˌdīz How to pronounce hybridize (audio)
hybridized; hybridizing
: to produce or cause to produce hybrids : interbreed
hybridization noun
hybridizer
ˈhī-brə-ˌdī-zər
noun

Medical Definition

hybridize

verb
hy·​brid·​ize
variants also British hybridise
hybridized also British hybridised; hybridizing also British hybridising

transitive verb

: to cause to interbreed or combine so as to produce hybrids
hybridize two species
fuse and hybridize somatic cells of two different species
hybridize two DNAs

intransitive verb

: to produce hybrids
hybridization noun
also British hybridisation
hybridizer noun
also British hybridiser

More from Merriam-Webster on hybridize

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