a brood mare

Meanings

1. 1nouncountabletechnical

   A female horse kept for the purpose of producing foals.

   Grammar: Countable: a brood mare, two brood mares. Often written as two words.

   Patterns

   • a brood mare
   • keep a brood mare
   • a brood mare and her foal

   The farm keeps five brood mares and sells their foals each year.

   She bought a brood mare that had produced two champion racehorses.

   The brood mare was moved to a quiet field before giving birth.

2. 2nouncountableoffensivefigurative

   A woman whose main role is seen as having and raising children, used in a critical or insulting way.

   Grammar: Countable but usually singular in this sense; it is an insult, so use it only when discussing offensive language.

   Patterns

   • treat someone like a brood mare

   The phrase 'brood mare' is sometimes used offensively to describe a woman only as a mother.

   In the novel, the character is insulted by being called a brood mare.

Word forms

Common combinations

keep a brood mare

They keep a brood mare to produce foals for sale.

a brood mare and foal

The photo shows a brood mare and foal in the field.

retired brood mare

The retired brood mare now lives in a paddock.

Synonyms and how they differ

mare

A mare is any adult female horse; a brood mare is specifically one used for breeding.

Opposites

Word family

brood verb

To sit on eggs or (of a hen) to hatch young; also to think sadly for a long time.

foal noun

A young horse, especially one still with its mother.

Commonly confused: a brood mare or broad mare?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “a brood mare”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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