bred
Americanverb
verb
noun
Etymology
Origin of bred
sense 2: diminutive form of inbred
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
“We’ve definitely been bred up in this music,” BG reflects.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 17, 2026
The mosquitoes that bred in settlements eventually evolved a preference for blood meals from their human neighbors, who were now the most available food source.
From Slate ● Aug. 4, 2026
At this rainforest-like indoor farm, where creatures such as coral, tropical fish and sea cucumbers inhabit different aquariums, Kinjo bred "miracle coral" with extra resistance to warmer water.
From Barron's ● Jul. 29, 2026
They bred four strains of mice with different levels of susceptibility to liver cancer.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 27, 2026
For generations his ancestors had been bred to retrieve without harming, and there was nothing of the hunter in his make-up; as yet, any killing was abhorrent to him.
From "The Incredible Journey" by Sheila Burnford
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
