Breed

/bɹiːd/ · verb

Meaning

To produce offspring sexually; to bear young..

Definitions by Sense

1. To produce offspring sexually; to bear young.
2. (transitive) To give birth to; to be the native place of.
3. (of animals) To mate.
4. (transitive) To keep (animals) and have (them) reproduce in a way that improves the next generation's qualities.
5. (transitive, often with to or with) To arrange the mating of (specific animals).
6. To propagate or grow (plants) in an effort to give (them) certain qualities.
7. To take care of in infancy and through childhood; to bring up.
8. To yield or result in.

Example Sentences

Plant breeding is always a numbers game.[…]The wild species we use are rich in genetic variation, and individual plants are highly heterozygous and do not breed true. In addition, we are looking for rare alleles, so the more plants we try, the better.

A pond breeds fish.

A northern country breeds stout men.

Yet every mother breeds not sons alike.

She wanted to breed her cow to the neighbor's registered bull.

He tries to breed blue roses.

born and bred

Ah wretched me! by fates averſe, decreed, / To bring thee forth with pain, with care to breed!

Synonyms for breed

Antonyms for breed

Related Words

Word Forms

• breeds
• breeding
• bred
• breede

Usage Notes

Choose a synonym only when it preserves the intended meaning, tone, and grammar of the full sentence.

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