interbreed

verb

in·ter·breed | \ ˌin-tər-ˈbrēd

interbred\ ˌin-tər-ˈbred

\; interbreeding

Definition of interbreed

intransitive verb

: to breed together: such as

a : crossbreed

b : to breed within a closed population

transitive verb

: to cause to breed together

Examples of interbreed in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Scientists would like to use this study to better understand how inherited genetic variants caused by interbreeding with ancient hominins affects human health today, particularly the underserved populations living on the islands of southeast Asia. — Daisy Hernandez, Popular Mechanics, "Scientists Might Have Discovered a New Human Ancestor With DNA Analysis," 12 Apr. 2019 The best explanation is that Denisovans and humans interbred twice in our history, not just once, and that the Denisovans had already split into distinct populations. — Kiona N. Smith, Ars Technica, "Modern humans interbred with Denisovans more than once," 15 Mar. 2018 What once seemed like a neat and tidy story of one human relative flowing into the next is shaping up to be the story of multiple migrations, several relatives, and cross-species interbreeding. — John Wenz, Popular Mechanics, "A New Fossil Holds an Ancient Secret About Humanity," 22 Aug. 2018 Scientists have long documented that hatchery fish compete for space and food with wild salmon and can interbreed with them, weakening their genetics. — Lynda V. Mapes, The Seattle Times, "Will we now commit to saving the Northwest’s orcas? A task force meets Tuesday," 7 Aug. 2018 Perri tells Wei-Haas that the scientists expected to find evidence of interbreeding between the pre-contact pups and the new arrivals. — Meilan Solly, Smithsonian, "European Dogs Devastated Indigenous American Pup Populations," 6 July 2018 After a century of interbreeding, California's wild hogs now share features from both varieties of pigs. — Ryan Sabalow, sacbee, "Wild pigs cause millions in damages in California. But hunting them could become easier," 25 June 2018 In return, the aliens want to interbreed with humans to create a hybrid species. — Billy Perrigo, Time, "Octavia E. Butler, Who Brought Diversity to the World of Science Fiction, Honored With Google Doodle," 22 June 2018 Each branch, the new study suggests, interbred with the ancestors of living humans. — Carl Zimmer, New York Times, "David Reich Unearths Human History Etched in Bone," 20 Mar. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'interbreed.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.