bred

past tense of breed
1
as in propagated
to bring forth offspring rabbits will breed very frequently unless they're kept separated

Synonyms & Similar Words

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2
3
4
as in slept
to engage in sexual intercourse cats breeding outside our window made a horrible racket last night

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of bred Look for species tulips that will naturalize and possibly spread over time, or Darwin hybrid tulips that are bred specifically to return year after year. Karen Brewer Grossman, Southern Living, 10 Nov. 2025 Many dogs are also bred for exaggerated features—such as flat faces or long spines—that cause lifelong pain. Lucy Notarantonio, MSNBC Newsweek, 7 Nov. 2025 Dogs are often bred repeatedly in poor conditions, left sick or injured, and treated as products instead of living beings. Kelli Bender, PEOPLE, 30 Oct. 2025 The beagles raised and bred at the facility are sometimes experimented upon, but can also be purchased and delivered to a buyer. Laura Schulte, jsonline.com, 30 Oct. 2025 The Hermann Farm museum also includes a collection of historic buildings along with beautiful Shire horses—large, gentle animals bred, raised, and trained on the farm. Erika Ebsworth-Goold, Travel + Leisure, 25 Oct. 2025 Plutonium is also the principal fuel in a fast neutron reactor, and in any reactor, it is progressively bred from non-fissile U-238 that comprises over 99 percent of natural uranium. Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 23 Oct. 2025 But as this story makes clear, absolute immunity has bred a culture of impunity that leaves them above the very law they’re meant to enforce. Micah Kimball, Denver Post, 16 Oct. 2025 To test whether these sperm changes had lasting consequences, the infected male mice were bred with healthy, uninfected females. New Atlas, 13 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bred
Verb
  • Sympodial orchids must be propagated by dividing them, not pruning or trimming them.
    Leanne Potts, Better Homes & Gardens, 23 Oct. 2025
  • The hedges surrounding the UGA football field today might not be the exact same shrubs from 96 years ago, but they’ve been propagated from the originals planted in 1929, preserving the continuity and lineage.
    Cameron Beall, Southern Living, 18 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Political leaders and many social media users raised questions about the effectiveness of flood preparations.
    Robert Birsel, MSNBC Newsweek, 5 Nov. 2025
  • Biden then raised this handout to $130.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 5 Nov. 2025
Verb
  • The creation of this content included the use of AI based on templates created, reviewed and edited by journalists in the newsroom.
    CA WILDFIRE BOT, Sacbee.com, 9 Nov. 2025
  • This watch guide was created using technology provided by Data Skrive.
    Data Skrive, New York Times, 9 Nov. 2025
Verb
  • The couple slept on a filthy mattress on the floor with their 4-year-old son, Stephano.
    Daniel Gonzalez, AZCentral.com, 6 Nov. 2025
  • For this story, our editors and contributors tested their luxury pillows in their own homes for at least a month (our minimum testing time frame), but most of them have been slept on for nearly six months to get a true gauge of how these models hold up over time.
    Kate McGregor, Architectural Digest, 31 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Some residents believe more trees were planted, and La Jolla Development Permit Review Committee trustee Brian Williams said last month that the trees appeared to be closer to one every 10 feet.
    Ashley Mackin Solomon, San Diego Union-Tribune, 8 Nov. 2025
  • Thousands of trees will be planted, increasing the tree canopy for health and beautification.
    Khadejeh Nikouyeh, Charlotte Observer, 7 Nov. 2025
Verb
  • In an exchange reproduced on screen, a fan asked Stause about her rift with Hernan.
    Judy Berman, Time, 5 Nov. 2025
  • No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
    Lizz Schumer, PEOPLE, 4 Nov. 2025
Verb
  • Singling us out as victims of multiracialism alienates us from our fellow-South Africans and harms relationships that have been fostered over the past 30 years.
    Kate Bartlett, NPR, 10 Nov. 2025
  • Unlike Zohran Mamdani’s victory at the mayoral election in New York, which boosted progressives within the Democratic Party, Spanberger’s win fostered the case for more centrist politics.
    Giulia Carbonaro, MSNBC Newsweek, 5 Nov. 2025
Verb
  • The Philippines is one of Asia’s most flood-prone countries but this year it has also been mired in a massive corruption scandal involving flood control projects that have brought thousands of protesters out onto the streets.
    Helen Regan, CNN Money, 6 Nov. 2025
  • Johnston wrote that the Bright Futures Fund was brought into the diocesan accounting system and was under the regular oversight of its finance office.
    Nathan Pilling, Kansas City Star, 6 Nov. 2025

Cite this Entry

“Bred.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bred. Accessed 11 Nov. 2025.

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