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Meaning & use

breed

verb, noun·Academic

Last updated

UK/briːd/
US/briːd/

Meanings

  1. verbtransitive or intransitive

    To keep animals or plants and control their mating so that the young have desired qualities.

    Grammar: Can take an object: 'breed horses'; or no object: 'These birds breed in spring.'

    Patterns

    • breed something
    • breed for something
    • breed in captivity

    The farmer breeds sheep for their wool and meat.

    These birds breed in the marshes every spring.

    Scientists have bred a new type of rice that resists disease.

  2. verbintransitive

    (Of animals) to produce young.

    Grammar: No object; often used of animals in general.

    Patterns

    • breed in captivity
    • breed successfully

    Pandas rarely breed in zoos.

    Frogs breed in ponds and slow streams.

  3. verbtransitivefigurative

    To cause something to develop or increase, especially something bad.

    Grammar: Takes an object: 'breed resentment'.

    Patterns

    • breed something
    • breed contempt

    Poverty can breed crime.

    Familiarity breeds contempt.

  4. nouncountable

    A particular type of animal or plant within a species, developed by humans.

    Grammar: Often used with 'of': 'a breed of dog'.

    Patterns

    • a breed of something
    • a rare breed

    The Labrador is a popular breed of dog.

    This breed of rose is known for its strong scent.

  5. nouncountablefigurative

    A type of person with a particular character or background.

    Grammar: Usually singular with 'a' or 'the'.

    Patterns

    • a new breed of something
    • a different breed

    She's a new breed of politician who uses social media effectively.

    He's a different breed of teacher—very energetic.

Word forms

third person singularbreeds
past tensebred
past participlebred
-ing formbreeding

Common combinations

breed animals
They breed animals for show.
breed successfully
The species bred successfully in the new habitat.
a breed of dog
The poodle is a breed of dog.
a new breed
A new breed of smartphone is coming.

Synonyms and how they differ

raise
Focuses on keeping and feeding animals until they are grown, not necessarily on controlling their mating.
rear
Similar to 'raise' but more formal and often used for animals or children.
reproduce
A general scientific word for producing young; it does not imply human control.

Word family

breeder noun
A person who breeds animals.
breeding noun
The activity of keeping animals to produce young.
crossbreed verb
To breed two different types together.

Commonly confused: breed or bread?

breed vs bread

A food made from flour; it sounds the same as 'bred', the past tense of 'breed'.

Practice

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