brood

1 of 3

noun

ˈbrüd 

1

: the young of an animal or a family of young

especially : the young (as of a bird or insect) hatched or cared for at one time

a hen with her brood of chicks

2

: a group having a common nature or origin

the entire brood of chronicle plays

—T. S. Eliot

3

: the children of a family

takes their brood to church every Sunday

brood

2 of 3

adjective

: kept for breeding (see breed entry 1 sense 3)

a brood flock

brood

3 of 3

verb

brooded; brooding; broods

transitive verb

1

a

: to sit on or incubate (eggs)

b

: to produce by or as if by incubation : hatch

2

of a bird : to cover (young) with the wings

3

: to think anxiously or gloomily about : ponder

I used to brood these things on my walk

—Christopher Morley

intransitive verb

1

a

of a bird : to brood eggs or young

b

: to sit quietly and thoughtfully : meditate

2

: hover, loom

the old fort brooding above the valley

3

a

: to dwell gloomily on a subject

brooded over his mistake

b

: to be in a state of depression

sat brooding in her room

Did you know?

The Eggy History of Brood

One of the noun senses of brood that is often encountered today is "the children of a family" (as in "they showed up at the picnic with their whole brood"). This may seem as though it is unrelated to the most commonly used verb sense, which is "to think anxiously or gloomily about; ponder," but the two words come from the same source, the Old English brōd. The noun form of brood came first, and the verb, when it appeared in our language, was used to refer to the action of chickens sitting on their eggs. Eventually the verb began to be used in a figurative manner, and took on the "worriedly pondering" sense it has today.

Synonyms

Verb

• hatch
• spawn
• sit
• lay

Examples of brood in a Sentence

Noun

a hen and her brood of chicks

Mrs. Smith took her brood to church every Sunday.

Verb

He brooded over his mistake.

After the argument, she sat in her bedroom, brooding.

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

After this summer, the next brood of periodical cicadas isn’t scheduled to arrive in North Carolina until 2030, Bertone said. —Evan Moore, Charlotte Observer, 23 June 2025

Alpha Slow Horse agent River Cartwright (Jack Lowden) unravels the connection between himself and the former CIA operative-turned-mercenary (Hugo Weaving) who’s raised an entire brood of psychopathic assassins. —Hugh Hart, Los Angeles Times, 17 June 2025

Adjective

First, coot parents allow brood reduction to happen, watching their chicks compete to the death. —Elizabeth Preston, Discover Magazine, 27 Mar. 2013

The most limiting factor for these stockings is acquiring brood stock. —Matt Wyatt, San Antonio Express-News, 29 Apr. 2021

Verb

The Caribbean reef octopus pictured here, however, broods just a few hundred large eggs, tucked into a pipe, perhaps a remnant of a shipwreck. —Cecilia Rodriguez, Forbes.com, 29 June 2025

The Jansson rift is captured in her Family painting, a stark portrait of her father and younger brother Per Olov in their military outfits, with the artist in funereal attire brooding over Per Olov’s chess game with youngest brother Lars. —Patrick Sauer, Smithsonian Magazine, 27 June 2025

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English, from Old English brōd; akin to Middle High German bruot brood and perhaps to Old English beorma yeast — more at barm

Adjective

Middle English brod- (in compounds), attributive use of brod, brood brood entry 1

Verb

Middle English broden, verbal derivative of brod, brood brood entry 1

First Known Use

Noun

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Adjective

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Verb

15th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a

Rhymes for brood

• blued
• booed
• brewed
• chewed
• cooed
• crude
• cued
• dude
• feud
• food
• glued
• gude

Kids Definition

brood

1 of 3 noun

ˈbrüd 

: a family of young animals or children

especially : the young (as of a bird) hatched or cared for at one time

brood

2 of 3 verb

1

: to sit on eggs in order to hatch them

2

: to cover young with the wings

3

: to think long and anxiously about something

brooded over his mistake

broodingly

-iŋ-lē

adverb

brood

3 of 3 adjective

: kept for breeding

a brood mare

a brood flock

Medical Definition

brood

1 of 2 noun

ˈbrüd 

: the young of an animal or a family of young

especially : the young (as of a bird or insect) hatched or cared for at one time

brood

2 of 2 transitive verb

1

a

: to sit on or incubate (eggs)

b

: to produce by or as if by incubation

2

: to think anxiously or gloomily about

intransitive verb

1

of a bird : to brood eggs or young

2

a

: to dwell gloomily on a subject

b

: to be in a state of depression