interbreed

verb

in·​ter·​breed ˌin-tər-ˈbrēd How to pronounce interbreed (audio)
interbred ˌin-tər-ˈbred How to pronounce interbreed (audio) ; interbreeding

intransitive verb

: to breed together: such as
b
: to breed within a closed population

transitive verb

: to cause to breed together

Examples of interbreed in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Did they simply get absorbed into humanity as the species interbred? Today, depending on their ancestry, many people still have a sliver of Neanderthal DNA in their genetic code. Evan Bush, NBC News, 31 Jan. 2024 Between 25,000 and 10,000 years ago, the bears interbred in several parts of their range. Carl Zimmer, New York Times, 19 Feb. 2024 Somewhere about 600,000 years ago, that lineage split off Neanderthals and Denisovans, and both of those lineages later interbred with modern humans after some of them left Africa. John Timmer, Ars Technica, 1 Sep. 2023 This phenomenon, in which the genes of a rare species are diluted by interbreeding with a more common one, poses a serious threat to the unique genetic identity of the Scottish wildcat. Scott Travers, Forbes, 15 Feb. 2024 The question of how long ago and where this interbreeding occurred is still being debated. Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 31 Jan. 2024 Some Neanderthals were likely assimilated into human groups; interbreeding also followed, which is why the average human outside of Africa currently carries about 2 percent of Neanderthal DNA. Jack Knudson, Discover Magazine, 21 Dec. 2023 For instance, Aalto and his co-authors suggest that eastern and western tuna may actually be interbreeding in the Slope Sea. Karen Pinchin, Smithsonian Magazine, 29 Nov. 2023 The discovery means the two groups, who once interbred and left most humans alive today with traces of Neanderthal DNA, may have overlapped for several thousand years. Katie Hunt, CNN, 1 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'interbreed.' 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

1859, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense

Time Traveler
The first known use of interbreed was in 1859

Dictionary Entries Near interbreed

Cite this Entry

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

Kids Definition

interbreed

verb
in·​ter·​breed ˌint-ər-ˈbrēd How to pronounce interbreed (audio)
interbred -ˈbred How to pronounce interbreed (audio) ; interbreeding
: to breed or cause to breed together: as
b
: to breed within a population

Medical Definition

interbreed

verb
in·​ter·​breed ˌint-ər-ˈbrēd How to pronounce interbreed (audio)
interbred -ˈbred How to pronounce interbreed (audio) ; interbreeding

intransitive verb

: to breed together: as
b
: to breed within a closed population

transitive verb

: to cause to breed together

More from Merriam-Webster on interbreed

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

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