interbreed

verb

in·​ter·​breed ˌin-tər-ˈbrēd 

interbred ˌin-tər-ˈbred  ; interbreeding

intransitive verb

: to breed together: such as

a

: crossbreed

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

But the Colossal analysis, Shapiro says, found that dire wolves were the product of interbreeding between two different wolf lineages that took place between 2.5 and 3.5 million years ago. —Emily Mullin, Wired News, 7 Apr. 2025

Later down the line of human genetic history, purifying selection would play an important role after Neanderthals and humans interbred around 50,000 years to 45,000 years ago. —Jack Knudson, Discover Magazine, 18 Mar. 2025

Barred owls displace spotted owls, disrupt their nesting, compete for food and in some cases, have interbred or killed spotted owls. —Greta Cross, USA TODAY, 11 Mar. 2025

Now, two separate studies published in the journals Science and Nature in December have dated this period of interbreeding more precisely than ever. —Margherita Bassi, Smithsonian Magazine, 31 Dec. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1859, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense

Rhymes for interbreed

• aniseed
• centipede
• cottonseed
• disagreed
• ganymede
• guaranteed
• intercede
• overspeed
• pedigreed
• refereed
• supercede
• supersede

Kids Definition

interbreed

verb

in·​ter·​breed ˌint-ər-ˈbrēd 

interbred -ˈbred  ; interbreeding

: to breed or cause to breed together: as

a

: crossbreed

b

: to breed within a population

Medical Definition

interbreed

verb

in·​ter·​breed ˌint-ər-ˈbrēd 

interbred -ˈbred  ; interbreeding

intransitive verb

: to breed together: as

a

: crossbreed

b

: to breed within a closed population

transitive verb

: to cause to breed together