breed

1 of 2

verb

ˈbrēd 

bred ˈbred  ; breeding

transitive verb

1

: to produce (offspring) by hatching or gestation

yet every mother breeds not sons alike

—Shakespeare

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

: copulate, mate

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

Synonyms

Verb

• multiply
• procreate
• propagate
• reproduce

Noun

• class
• description
• feather
• genre
• ilk
• kidney
• kind
• like
• manner
• nature
• order
• sort
• species
• strain
• stripe
• type
• variety

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

Aaron Hernandez and the Untold Murders of Bristol will focus on the circumstances in Bristol, Connecticut, that bred a community of dangerous men, including three athletes on the same high school football team — Hernandez, Alex Ryng and Nicholas Brutcher — who all went on to become murderers. —Lily Ford, The Hollywood Reporter, 5 Dec. 2024

The campaigns are seasonal because in many malarial regions, malaria-carrying mosquitos only thrive and transmit the disease in certain seasons, often during a summer rainy season where there’s more water for mosquitos to breed in. —Dylan Matthews, Vox, 3 Dec. 2024

Noun

Faster Speed And Scale Big Bang Disruptions represent a new breed of innovation characterized by rapid, market-shaking transformations. —Dr Guenther Dobrauz-Saldapenna, Forbes, 6 Dec. 2024

Animal Services will have a wide range of adoptable pets, from dogs to cats, in various breeds and sizes. —Joe Rassel, Orlando Sentinel, 4 Dec. 2024

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

Phrases Containing breed

• a breed apart
• breed to
• dying breed
• half-breed
• rare breed

Kids Definition

breed

1 of 2 verb

ˈbrēd 

bred ˈbred  ; 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

ˈbrēd 

bred ˈbred  ; 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

c

: impregnate sense 1

intransitive verb

1

a

: to produce offspring by sexual union

b

: copulate, mate

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