breed

Use breed in a sentence

A beagle is one breed of dog.

noun

The definition of a breed is a group of animals that has a specific characteristic or trait.
The beagle is an example of a dog breed.

verb

To breed is to cause reproduction by controlled mating to achieve a desired trait, or to cause something to happen over time.
1. When you mate two dogs together in order to create a pure bred dog, this is an example of a situation where you breed dogs.
2. When you foster resentment over time by constantly complaining, this is an example of a situation where you breed resentment.

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"breed." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 21 April 2019. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/BREED>.

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breed. (n.d.). Retrieved April 21st, 2019, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/BREED

breed

transitive verb

bred, breed′ing

to bring forth (offspring) from the womb or hatch (young) from the egg
to be the source of; produce: ignorance breeds prejudice
1. to cause to reproduce; raise, esp. by controlled mating: to breed dogs
2. to produce (plants) by selective pollination
3. to mate with
4. to develop (a stock or certain characteristics in it) by such mating or pollination
to bring up, train, or educate: he was bred to be a gentleman
to produce (fissile material) in a breeder reactor

Origin of breed

Middle English breden from Old English bredan from brod, fetus, hatching: see brood

to be produced; originate: crime breeds in slums
to bring forth offspring; reproduce

a group, or stock, of animals or plants descended from common ancestors and having similar characteristics, esp. such a group cultivated by humans
a kind; sort; type: men of the same breed

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"breed." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 21 April 2019. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/BREED>.

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breed. (n.d.). Retrieved April 21st, 2019, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/BREED

breed

verb

bred, breed·ing, breeds

verb

transitive

To produce (offspring); give birth to or hatch.
To bring about; engender: “Admission of guilt tends to breed public sympathy” ( Jonathan Alter )
a. To cause to reproduce, especially by controlled mating and selection: breed cattle.
b. To develop new or improved strains in (organisms), chiefly through controlled mating and selection of offspring for desirable traits.
c. To inseminate or impregnate; mate with.
To rear or train; bring up: a writer who was bred in a seafaring culture.
To be the place of origin of: Austria breeds great skiers.
To produce (fissionable material) in a breeder reactor.

verb

intransitive

To produce offspring.
To copulate; mate.
To originate and develop: Mischief breeds in bored minds.

noun

A group of organisms having common ancestors and certain distinguishable characteristics, especially a group within a species developed by artificial selection and maintained by controlled propagation.
A kind; a sort: a new breed of politician; a new breed of computer.
Offensive A person of mixed racial descent; a half-breed.

Origin of breed

Middle English breden from Old English brēdan ; see bhreu- in Indo-European roots.

THE AMERICAN HERITAGE® DICTIONARY OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE, FIFTH EDITION by the Editors of the American Heritage Dictionaries. Copyright © 2016, 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

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"breed." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 21 April 2019. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/BREED>.

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breed. (n.d.). Retrieved April 21st, 2019, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/BREED

Verb

To produce or reproduce by giving birth or hatching.
To raise animals or plants, often to produce new or improved types.

Noun

A group of organisms having common ancestors and sharing certain traits that are not shared with other members of the same species. Breeds are usually produced by mating selected parents.

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"breed." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 21 April 2019. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/BREED>.

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breed. (n.d.). Retrieved April 21st, 2019, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/BREED

Verb

(third-person singular simple present breeds, present participle breeding, simple past and past participle bred)

To produce offspring sexually; to bear young.
To give birth to; to be the native place of.
a pond breeds fish; a northern country breeds stout men
Of animals, to mate.
To keep animals and have them reproduce in a way that improves the next generation’s qualities.
To arrange the mating of specific animals.
She wanted to breed her cow to the neighbor's registered bull.
To propagate or grow plants trying to give them certain qualities.
He tries to breed blue roses.
To take care of in infancy and through childhood; to bring up.
To yield or result in.
disaster breeds famine; familiarity breeds contempt
To educate; to instruct; to form by education; to train; sometimes followed by up.
To produce or obtain by any natural process.

Noun

(plural breeds)

All animals or plants of the same species or subspecies.
a breed of tulip
a breed of animal
A race or lineage.
(informal) A group of people with shared characteristics.
People who were taught classical Greek and Latin at school are a dying breed.

Origin

From Old English bredan, related to English brood, cognate with German brüten.

English Wiktionary. Available under CC-BY-SA license.

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MLA Style

"breed." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 21 April 2019. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/BREED>.

APA Style

breed. (n.d.). Retrieved April 21st, 2019, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/BREED

breed - Medical Definition

v.

bred (brĕd) breeding breeds

To produce offspring; give birth to or hatch.
1. To cause to reproduce, especially by controlled mating and selection: breed cattle.
2. To develop new or improved strains in organisms, chiefly through controlled mating and selection of offspring for desirable traits.
3. To inseminate or impregnate; mate with.

n.

A group of organisms having common ancestors and certain distinguishable characteristics, especially a group within a species developed by artificial selection and maintained by controlled propagation.