bred

[ bred ]

/ brɛd /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR bred ON THESAURUS.COM

verb

simple past tense and past participle of breed.

Nearby words

breckinridge, john cabell, brecknockshire, brecksville, brecon, breconshire, bred, bred-in-the-bone, breda, breda's disease, brede, bredie

Can be confusedbread bred

Definition for bred (2 of 2)

breed

[ breed ]

/ brid /

verb (used with object), bred, breed·ing.

to produce (offspring); procreate; engender.

to produce by mating; propagate sexually; reproduce: Ten mice were bred in the laboratory.

Horticulture.

to cause to reproduce by controlled pollination.
to improve by controlled pollination and selection.

to raise (cattle, sheep, etc.): He breeds longhorns on the ranch.

to cause or be the source of; engender; give rise to: Dirt breeds disease. Stagnant water breeds mosquitoes.

to develop by training or education; bring up; rear: He was born and bred a gentleman.

Energy. to produce more fissile nuclear fuel than is consumed in a reactor.

to impregnate; mate: Breed a strong mare with a fast stallion and hope for a Derby winner.

verb (used without object), bred, breed·ing.

to produce offspring: Many animals breed in the spring.

to be engendered or produced; grow; develop: Bacteria will not breed in alcohol.

to cause the birth of young, as in raising stock.

to be pregnant.

noun

Genetics. a relatively homogenous group of animals within a species, developed and maintained by humans.

lineage; stock; strain: She comes from a fine breed of people.

sort; kind; group: Scholars are a quiet breed.

Disparaging and Offensive. half-breed(def 1).

Origin of breed

before 1000; Middle English breden, Old English brēdan to nourish (cognate with Old High German bruotan, German brüten); noun use from 16th century

SYNONYMS FOR breed

1, 2 beget, bear, generate.

5 promote, occasion, foster, produce, induce, develop.

14 family, pedigree, line.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR breed ON THESAURUS.COM

Related formsbreed·a·ble, adjectiveo·ver·breed, verb (used with object), o·ver·bred, o·ver·breed·ing.re·breed, verb, re·bred, re·breed·ing.sub·breed, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for bred

Secondly, what's with choosing Swift, a 24-year-old born in Pennsylvania and bred in Nashville, to represent NYC?
New York Is Taylor Swift’s New Boyfriend|Amy Zimmerman|October 28, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Darci Brown, owner of a car dealership in Greenfield, Mass., has bred dogs as a hobby for 30 years.
The Sleazy War on the Humane Society|Center for Public Integrity|August 18, 2014|DAILY BEAST
These exotic animals are kept in small cages and bred over and over again.
The $10 Billion Pet Cheetah and Chimp Industry|Sharon Adarlo|July 20, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Even when bred in captivity, Leahy said breeding facilities are often horrendous, resembling factory farming.
The $10 Billion Pet Cheetah and Chimp Industry|Sharon Adarlo|July 20, 2014|DAILY BEAST

The modern world has strayed somewhat from fostering the same sense of adventure that bred his youthful imagination.
Discovering Underground Labyrinths, Remote Cities, and More of the World’s Lost Places|Nina Strochlic|July 8, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Like all good lurchers, she is bred between the greyhound and sheepdog.
Poachers and Poaching|John Watson
I tell you what, Mrs. Lathrop, Mr. Weskin has bred this damage idea too deep into this town for any comfort.
Susan Clegg and Her Neighbors' Affairs|Anne Warner
It has insinuated itself into the church, and bred putrefaction and death among the holy.
Select Temperance Tracts|American Tract Society
Here elk and deer are bred, there are abundant hares and rabbits, and also woodcock, grouse and snipe shooting.
America, Volume I (of 6)|Joel Cook
The double recessive, miniature sable, was made up, and males of this stock were bred to wild females (long gray).
Sex-linked Inheritance in Drosophila|Thomas Hunt Morgan

British Dictionary definitions for bred (1 of 2)

bred

/ (brɛd) /

verb

the past tense and past participle of breed

noun

Australian derogatory, slang a person who lives in a small remote place

Word Origin for bred

sense 2: diminutive form of inbred

British Dictionary definitions for bred (2 of 2)

breed

/ (briːd) /

verb breeds, breeding or bred

to bear (offspring)

(tr) to bring up; raise

to produce or cause to produce by mating; propagate

to produce and maintain new or improved strains of (domestic animals and plants)

to produce or be produced; generateto breed trouble; violence breeds in densely populated areas

noun

a group of organisms within a species, esp a group of domestic animals, originated and maintained by man and having a clearly defined set of characteristics

a lineage or racea breed of Europeans

a kind, sort, or groupa special breed of hatred

Word Origin for breed

Old English brēdan, of Germanic origin; related to brood

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Science definitions for bred

breed

[ brēd ]

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.

bred

verb

RELATED WORDS

Nearby words

Definition for bred (2 of 2)

breed

verb (used with object), bred, breed·ing.

verb (used without object), bred, breed·ing.

noun

Origin of breed

Examples from the Web for bred

British Dictionary definitions for bred (1 of 2)

bred

verb

noun

Word Origin for bred

British Dictionary definitions for bred (2 of 2)

breed

verb breeds, breeding or bred

noun

Word Origin for breed

Science definitions for bred

breed

Verb

Noun

Idioms and Phrases with bred (1 of 2)

bred

Idioms and Phrases with bred (2 of 2)

breed