breed

/brid/
/brid/
IPA guide

Other forms: bred; breeding; breeds

To breed is to have babies, whether you’re a human or a hermit crab. A breed is also a specific type of a domesticated species, like a poodle or Great Dane.

The word breed comes from the Old English bredan which means to "bring young to birth," but also "cherish,” which is how most people feel about their offspring. Awwwww. But the fact is that breeding is reproducing. Also, a breed is a strain or stock of a species, such as a Siamese cat. There are many types of dog breeds, cow breeds, and even pig breeds. Members of a breed usually look and behave in a similar way.

Definitions of breed
  1. verb
    cause to procreate (animals)
    “She breeds dogs”
    see moresee less
    types:
    mongrelise, mongrelize
    cause to become a mongrel
    cross, crossbreed, hybridise, hybridize, interbreed
    breed animals or plants using parents of different races and varieties
    backcross
    mate a hybrid of the first generation with one of its parents
    type of:
    create, make, produce
    create or manufacture a man-made product
  2. verb
    have young (animals) or reproduce (organisms)
    “pandas rarely breed in captivity”
    synonyms: multiply
    see moresee less
    types:
    pullulate
    breed freely and abundantly
    type of:
    multiply, procreate, reproduce
    have offspring or produce more individuals of a given animal or plant
  3. verb
    copulate with a female, used especially of horses
    synonyms:
    brood, cover, hatch, incubate
    sit on (eggs)
  4. noun
    a special variety of domesticated animals within a species
    “he experimented on a particular breed of white rats”
    synonyms: stock, strain
    see moresee less
    types:
    bloodstock
    thoroughbred horses (collectively)
    pedigree
    line of descent of a purebred animal
    type of:
    animal group
    a group of animals
    variety
    (biology) a taxonomic category consisting of members of a species that differ from others of the same species in minor but heritable characteristics
  5. noun
    a special type
    “Google represents a new breed of entrepreneurs”
    see moresee less
    type of:
    type
    a subdivision of a particular kind of thing
  6. verb
    call forth
    synonyms: engender, spawn
    see moresee less
    type of:
    cause, do, make
    give rise to; cause to happen or occur, not always intentionally
Pronunciation
US
/brid/
UK
/brid/
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DISCLAIMER: These example sentences appear in various news sources and books to reflect the usage of the word ‘breed'. Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Vocabulary.com or its editors. Send us feedback
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