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

There’s good reason to believe that donors are a slightly different breed of player. — Mike McRae 15, New Atlas, 15 Sep. 2026

She’s made room for dozens of pets over the years, ranging from fluffy Chow Chows and Frenchies (her favorite breeds) to canaries, chinchillas, and beautifully fluffy cats. — Wendy Rose Gould, Martha Stewart, 11 Sep. 2026

Verb

Marino would like to see each aquarium pledge not to breed their belugas. — Finnegan Belleau, Chicago Tribune, 23 Sep. 2026

Insisting that lines must be drawn, Scalia argued that an animal should not be considered injured under the ESA simply because its ability to breed had been impaired. — Ashley Belanger, ArsTechnica, 22 Sep. 2026