breed 1 of 2

breed

2 of 2

verb

1
as in to reproduce
to bring forth offspring rabbits will breed very frequently unless they're kept separated

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2
3
4
as in to sleep
to engage in sexual intercourse cats breeding outside our window made a horrible racket last night

Synonyms & Similar Words

5
as in to plant
to set permanently in the consciousness or mind-set parents who breed in their children a deep respect for people of all classes

Synonyms & Similar Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of breed
Noun
More dogs would come into Britain through diplomatic avenues, especially as the formal recognition of the Pekingese as a breed around 1900 coincided with Western powers’ successful incursion into the Forbidden City. H.m.a. Leow, JSTOR Daily, 28 Sep. 2025 And, importantly, the study shows associations, not proof that traits like breed cause certain behaviors. New Atlas, 21 Sep. 2025
Verb
Filth Flies Little filth flies such as drain flies breed in sludge and decaying matter that can build up in drain pipes, says Oi. Arricca Elin Sansone, Southern Living, 10 Oct. 2025 German hybridizer Kordes crossed the red hybrid musk rose, ‘Robin Hood’ (1927) developed by Joseph Pemberton in England, and the white hybrid tea, ‘Virgo’ (1927), bred in France by Charles Mallein. Rita Perwich, San Diego Union-Tribune, 8 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for breed
Recent Examples of Synonyms for breed
Verb
  • No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
    Lizz Schumer, PEOPLE, 8 Oct. 2025
  • This one-upmanship obscured testimony on how many games reproduced—rather than created—society’s sexist and racist ideals.
    Time, Time, 8 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • In November, Jackson terminated Gatlin for swindling millions of dollars from the Foundation as executives privately reeled over her betrayal of the hospital system’s fundraising arm, which raises tens of millions to benefit Jackson’s patients.
    Michelle Marchante, Miami Herald, 12 Oct. 2025
  • Experts at Sweetbriar said the effort was not just about saving one insect but also about raising awareness.
    Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 11 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Nicola Lewis, director of the Worldwide Influenza Centre at the Francis Crick Institute in London, warned last year that the next global pandemic could be caused by the flu.
    Miranda Jeyaretnam, Time, 10 Oct. 2025
  • Perhaps most worrisome, studies had already suggested that the chemical caused serious harm to people and lab animals.
    Sharon Lerner, ProPublica, 10 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Sir, who is the woman sleeping on your shoulder?
    Dana Harris-Bridson, IndieWire, 13 Oct. 2025
  • When the day calls for a relaxed, quick meal, don't sleep on Tower 7, which is right on the water and serves fresh, tasty Mexican food with a Baja flair.
    Jennifer Prince, Southern Living, 12 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Jones also seemed planted in the pocket and was sacked three times in the fourth quarter alone.
    Matt Barrows, New York Times, 14 Oct. 2025
  • Large, late-flowering bulbs are planted at the bottom.
    Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 13 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • But from a young age, Keaton seemed to understand that actual beauty, the timeless kind, required a degree of depth, even darkness.
    Adrienne LaFrance, The Atlantic, 12 Oct. 2025
  • The novel application of the existing test is described in preliminary, first-of-its-kind research to be presented Tuesday at the 38th ECNP (European College of Neuropsychopharmacology) Congress in Amsterdam.
    Kristen Rogers, CNN Money, 12 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • In fact, the study of wave-like phenomena can be traced back to early experiments done in the 1600s with water waves by pioneers like Christiaan Huygens, who understood that all waves could be treated as superpositions of many circular waves, propagating outward, all together.
    Ethan Siegel, Big Think, 8 Oct. 2025
  • The idea propagated by Saturday Night Live skits and sitcom one-liners that Lilith Fair was a misandrist showcase for joyless, hormonal angst was totally alien to accounts of what being there actually felt like.
    Sophie Gilbert, The Atlantic, 30 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • Growing up, and well into my early adulthood, my grandma was my best friend—a person who fostered a sense of confidence in me, loved me unconditionally, and gave me the best taste in everything nostalgic from her younger years.
    Alicia Geigel, Southern Living, 8 Oct. 2025
  • This isolated upbringing, Lieberman explained, fostered a strong emotional dependence in Ed.
    Allison DeGrushe, Entertainment Weekly, 8 Oct. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Breed.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/breed. Accessed 15 Oct. 2025.

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