reproduction

noun

re·pro·duc·tion ˌrē-prə-ˈdək-shən

: the act or process of reproducing

specifically : the process by which plants and animals give rise to offspring and which fundamentally consists of the segregation of a portion of the parental body by a sexual or an asexual process and its subsequent growth and differentiation into a new individual

: something reproduced : copy

: young seedling trees in a forest

Choose the Right Synonym for reproduction

reproduction, duplicate, copy, facsimile, replica mean a thing made to closely resemble another.

reproduction implies an exact or close imitation of an existing thing.

reproductions from the museum's furniture collection

duplicate implies a double or counterpart exactly corresponding to another thing.

a duplicate of a house key

copy applies especially to one of a number of things reproduced mechanically.

printed 1000 copies of the lithograph

facsimile suggests a close reproduction often of graphic matter that may differ in scale.

a facsimile of a rare book

replica implies the exact reproduction of a particular item in all details

a replica of the Mayflower

but not always in the same scale.

miniature replicas of classic cars

Example Sentences

the mass reproduction of fine art a reproduction of the painting

Recent Examples on the Web And the way the technique could open reproduction to couples without an XX-XY chromosomal pair raises a unique question, Cohen said in an e-mail to Scientific American. —

Meghan Bartels, Scientific American, 15 Mar. 2023 Hall says the company is now only planting low-flowering female trees to limit wild reproduction. —

Quartz, 3 Mar. 2023 If reproduction happens late in North America, the resulting chicks may not be mature enough to make the trip south on time. —

Jill Langlois, Smithsonian Magazine, 21 Feb. 2023 The sonar noise cuts into their space, and the whales turned out to have heightened stress hormones, delayed reproduction, and delayed migration. —

Jack Mccordick, The New Republic, 16 Feb. 2023 In the past decade, scientists have identified asexual reproduction in a number of new species. —

Gabe Allen, Discover Magazine, 19 Jan. 2023 Orban has also established tax and loan benefits for families in his effort to kick-start more reproduction. —

Rick Noack, Washington Post, 17 Jan. 2023 In fact, the Freys went so far as to also introduce a few panoramic wallpapers, including one called Zarand, which is an archival reproduction of a 19th-century Kalemkar on top of the henna-looking print Zarand Cordonne. —

Parker Bowie Larson, ELLE Decor, 27 Feb. 2023 The American Classic is a reproduction of one of Hamilton's most popular models from the WWII era. —

Men's Health, 24 Feb. 2023 See More

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