inbreed

verb

in·​breed ˈin-ˈbrēd How to pronounce inbreed (audio)
inbred ˈin-ˈbred How to pronounce inbreed (audio) ; inbreeding

transitive verb

: to subject to inbreeding

intransitive verb

: to engage in inbreeding

Examples of inbreed in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Imagine a study in which subjects are chronically cold, sleep-deprived, inbred, and held captive in cramped conditions. Sonia Shah, The New Yorker, 18 Feb. 2023 When the population of a species dwindles, the remaining animals are forced to inbreed and the genetic pool shrinks, further threatening survival. Jacopo Prisco, CNN, 31 Mar. 2022 Southern white rhinos are threatened by inbreeding. Rafil Kroll-Zaidi, Harper's Magazine, 30 Mar. 2020 Soon, almost everyone in that population may become related to the newcomers, actually speeding up inbreeding. Ashley Braun, Longreads, 24 Oct. 2019 Self-fertilization, like inbreeding in animals, should pair up harmful recessive mutations, so Schwoch expected the crosses that used pollen from one stem on flowers from another to do better. Elizabeth Pennisi, Science | AAAS, 29 Aug. 2019 Many scientists believe mating types evolved early in life’s history as a barrier against behaviors like inbreeding that might be harmful to a population or species. Quanta Magazine, 17 July 2018 And as their faces got smaller, our ancestors became more social; groups of Neanderthals and other ancient humans seem to have inbred frequently, but among modern humans, there was much more contact between different groups. Brigit Katz, Smithsonian, 10 Apr. 2018 For cancer research, this meant a stable breeding strain by which to study the biological and genetic nature of cancer in mice inbred with cancerous tumors—a realization that has defined mouse model research to this day. Leila McNeill, Smithsonian, 20 Mar. 2018

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

Word History

First Known Use

1599, in the meaning defined at transitive sense

Time Traveler
The first known use of inbreed was in 1599

Dictionary Entries Near inbreed

Cite this Entry

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

Kids Definition

inbreed

verb
in·​breed ˈin-ˈbrēd How to pronounce inbreed (audio)
inbred -ˈbred How to pronounce inbreed (audio) ; inbreeding
: to subject to or engage in inbreeding

Medical Definition

inbreed

verb
in·​breed ˈin-ˈbrēd How to pronounce inbreed (audio)
inbred -ˈbred How to pronounce inbreed (audio) ; inbreeding

transitive verb

: to subject to inbreeding

intransitive verb

: to engage in inbreeding

More from Merriam-Webster on inbreed

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!