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.
“Excellence in football and excellence in life is bred when men recognize their opportunities and then pursue them with a passion.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 9, 2026
They instead often raised expectations, forced dependency and gave rise to a vision of progress that reinforced social exclusion, bred anxieties about status, and concealed the environmental costs of a culture built on consumption.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 7, 2026
Morgan, who was born and bred on the island and returned 15 years ago after living and working abroad, said social housing created more opportunities for islanders to come home.
From BBC ● Sep. 24, 2026
Aulon, 38, was born and bred here in Vlore.
From Slate ● Sep. 8, 2026
Hannibal’s elephants were, and Asian work elephants are, just wild elephants that were captured and tamed; they were not bred in captivity.
From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond
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.
