Synonyms of breed

breed 1 of 2

noun

as in type

a number of persons or things that are grouped together because they have something in common

some people say that honest politicians are a rare breed

Synonyms & Similar Words

• type
• kind
• genre
• stripe
• sort
• variety
• species
• nature
• description
• kidney
• manner
• strain
• class
• ilk
• order
• persuasion
• feather
• like
• model
• category
• specimen
• family
• group
• sample
• grouping
• set
• bracket
• suite
• division
• grade
• bunch
• lot
• rank(s)

breed

2 of 2

verb

ˈbrēd 

1

as in to reproduce

to bring forth offspring

rabbits will breed very frequently unless they're kept separated

Synonyms & Similar Words

• reproduce
• propagate
• multiply
• produce
• procreate
• generate
• parent
• mother
• spawn
• have
• sire
• hatch
• beget
• engender
• gender
• get
• bear

2

as in to raise

to bring to maturity through care and education

he was bred to a life in the military by his father, himself an army captain

Synonyms & Similar Words

• raise
• foster
• nurture
• teach
• promote
• feed
• educate
• cultivate
• nurse
• mother
• bring up
• watch
• nourish
• cradle
• minister (to)
• rear
• father
• train
• attend
• mentor
• school
• supply
• care (for)
• provide (for)
• discipline
• lead
• show
• instruct
• forward
• mind
• prepare
• further
• indoctrinate
• guide
• shepherd
• enlighten
• advance
• edify
• direct
• tutor

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• abuse
• mistreat
• ignore
• maltreat
• neglect
• harm
• ill-treat
• hurt
• mishandle
• injure
• ill-use

3

as in to cause

to be the cause of (a situation, action, or state of mind)

this habit of favoring one employee over the others will breed resentment

Synonyms & Similar Words

• cause
• create
• bring
• generate
• do
• produce
• spawn
• prompt
• work
• yield
• induce
• effect
• translate (into)
• make
• bring about
• invoke
• draw on
• beget
• result (in)
• effectuate
• give rise to
• found
• engender
• promote
• catalyze
• encourage
• bring forth
• contribute (to)
• occasion
• bring on
• introduce
• foster
• pioneer
• develop
• establish
• determine
• cultivate
• institute
• decide
• begin
• initiate
• conduce (to)
• launch
• start
• inaugurate
• set up
• nurture
• forward
• further
• innovate
• set
• render
• turn out
• enact
• father
• advance
• nourish

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• restrict
• limit
• impede
• control
• stifle
• subdue
• suppress
• quash
• crush
• put down
• smother
• check
• repress
• restrain
• retard
• quell
• kill
• curb
• dampen
• inhibit
• arrest
• can
• rein (in)
• squash
• destroy
• crack down (on)
• squelch
• clamp down (on)
• still
• abolish
• liquidate
• extinguish
• demolish
• quench
• snuff (out)

4

as in to sleep

to engage in sexual intercourse

cats breeding outside our window made a horrible racket last night

Synonyms & Similar Words

• sleep
• mate
• copulate
• have sex
• do it
• fornicate
• fool around

5

as in to plant

to set permanently in the consciousness or mind-set

parents who breed in their children a deep respect for people of all classes

Synonyms & Similar Words

• plant
• implant
• root
• inseminate
• sow
• inculcate
• embed
• instill
• lodge
• drive
• enroot
• infix
• invest
• pound
• entrench
• inoculate
• hammer
• imbue
• infuse
• steep
• suffuse
• fix
• ingrain

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of breed

Noun

Farmers said calves can be worth hundreds of dollars or upward of $1,000 or $2,000, depending on the breed. —Joshua A. Bickel, Fortune, 1 Nov. 2025

What breeds of horses are most common on the island? —Jalen Williams, Freep.com, 31 Oct. 2025

Verb

Schwanz pointed out how the work goes back to breeding resilience—not just breeding crops that can do more with less or maximizing yield—but true resilience for everyone. —Angela Velasquez, Sourcing Journal, 3 Nov. 2025

Alpha Genesis’s red-meat pivot is emblematic of the desperate position in which the primate-breeding industry now finds itself. —Ava Kofman, New Yorker, 3 Nov. 2025