breed

1 of 2

verb

bred ˈbred How to pronounce breed (audio) ; breeding

transitive verb

1
: to produce (offspring) by hatching or gestation
yet every mother breeds not sons alikeShakespeare
2
a
: beget sense 1
He bred a daughter.
b
: produce, engender
despair often breeds violence
3
biology : to propagate (plants or animals) sexually and usually under controlled conditions
bred several strains of corn together to produce a superior variety
4
a
: bring up, nurture
We were born and bred in the country.
b
: to inculcate by training
breed good manners into one's children
5
a
: mate entry 4 sense 3
the business of breeding cattle
a horse that is bred to a donkey
b
: to mate with : inseminate
c
: impregnate sense 2
delivered her kittens 63 days after being bred
6
physics : to produce (a fissionable element) by bombarding a nonfissionable element with neutrons from a radioactive element

intransitive verb

1
a
: to produce offspring by sexual union
places where mosquitoes breed
b
2
: to propagate animals or plants

breed

2 of 2

noun

1
biology : a group of usually domesticated animals or plants presumably related by descent from common ancestors and visibly similar in most characters
exotic breeds of cats
retrievers and other popular dog breeds
2
: a number of persons of the same stock (see stock entry 1 sense 4a(1))
3
: class, kind
a new breed of athlete
such people are a dying breed

Examples of breed in a Sentence

Verb He got into the business of breeding cattle. The plants are bred to resist disease and drought. She believes that we are breeding a generation of children who know nothing about the history of their country. Noun The collie is a working breed. a new breed of athlete
Recent Examples on the Web
Verb
The Prime Minister acknowledged that a lack of rule of law can breed corruption and injustice, hampering the country's progress. Zenger News, Forbes, 1 Mar. 2024 Guano produced from breeding bird colonies provides nutrients for marine invertebrates and fish, for instance. Susanne Rust, Los Angeles Times, 25 Feb. 2024 Social media pages dedicated to petty tea-spilling have become more prevalent, content moderation on platforms like X and Instagram has historically been complicated (to say the least), and the new attention economy online has bred a culture where more people can be kinda famous than ever before. Mankaprr Conteh, Rolling Stone, 24 Feb. 2024 Yet donkeys only breed a foal every couple of years. Siyi Zhao, New York Times, 23 Feb. 2024 Giant pandas are difficult to breed in part because the female's reproductive window is extremely narrow, lasting only 48 to 72 hours each year. CBS News, 22 Feb. 2024 And last year, state and federal biologists began capturing juvenile spring-run salmon to breed them in captivity in an attempt to prevent extinction. Ian James, Los Angeles Times, 22 Feb. 2024 Arizona Republic The Arizona Game and Fish Department will start to close some parts of public land and water areas for bald eagle breeding sites through the spring. The Arizona Republic, 21 Feb. 2024 The three younger ones were split into breeding pairs, one of which was paired with the older female. Emily Alvarenga, San Diego Union-Tribune, 21 Feb. 2024
Noun
Some female lizards were found pregnant, indicating the species breeds in July. Aspen Pflughoeft, Miami Herald, 7 Mar. 2024 Apple did not immediately respond to a request for comment, but the abandonment, if confirmed, will breed plenty of schadenfreude: billions spent with little to show, all the while pivoting to a different breed of Silicon Valley hype. Matteo Wong, The Atlantic, 28 Feb. 2024 In fact, this young breed of workers thinks traditional employment means losing control on their careers, according to a survey of Gen Zers in Germany, France, the U.K., and the U.S. released Wednesday by Fiverr, a global freelancing job platform. Prarthana Prakash, Fortune Europe, 28 Feb. 2024 As to restricting size or breed, Regulation 12185(d)(5) specifically bars breed, size and weight limitations as to assistance animals. Kelly G. Richardson, San Diego Union-Tribune, 20 Feb. 2024 The vessels that specialize in such journeys are a different breed from the floating entertainment palaces that chug around the Mediterranean or Caribbean with thousands on board. Mark Ellwood, Robb Report, 9 Feb. 2024 Stray Dog Found with Tumor Larger than His Head Gets Mass Removed and Finds a Home For the study, researchers looked at 62 canine meningiomas from 27 dog breeds. Nicholas Rice, Peoplemag, 25 Feb. 2024 Diversity of thought breeds innovation, creativity, and resilience within organizations. Geri Stengel, Forbes, 21 Feb. 2024 Thirty years later, though, there’s a new breed of web crawler in town. Longreads, 16 Feb. 2024

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

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Middle English breden, from Old English brēdan; akin to Old English brōd brood

Noun

noun derivative of breed entry 1

First Known Use

Verb

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

Noun

1553, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of breed was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near breed

Cite this Entry

“Breed.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/breed. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

breed

1 of 2 verb
bred ˈbred How to pronounce breed (audio) ; breeding
1
: to produce (plants or animals) by sexual reproduction
breed cattle
2
: to produce offspring by sexual reproduction
3
: bring up sense 1, train
born and bred in this town
4
: bring about, cause
familiarity breeds contempt
5
: to produce (a fissionable element) by bombarding an element that is not fissionable with neutrons from a radioactive element so that more fissionable material is produced than is used up
breeder noun

breed

2 of 2 noun
1
: a group of animals or plants usually found only under human care and different from related kinds
a breed of cattle
2
: kind, class

Medical Definition

breed

1 of 2 verb
bred ˈbred How to pronounce breed (audio) ; breeding

transitive verb

1
: to produce (offspring) by hatching or gestation
2
: to propagate (plants or animals) sexually and usually under controlled conditions
3
a
: mate
b
: to mate with : inseminate

intransitive verb

1
a
: to produce offspring by sexual union
b
2
: to propagate animals or plants

breed

2 of 2 noun
: a group of animals or plants presumably related by descent from common ancestors and visibly similar in most characters
especially : such a group differentiated from the wild type under domestication

More from Merriam-Webster on breed

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