breeding
Americannoun
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the producing of offspring.
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the improvement or development of breeds of livestock, as by selective mating and hybridization.
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Horticulture. the production of new forms by selection, crossing, and hybridizing.
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training; nurture.
He is a man of good breeding.
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the result of upbringing or training as shown in behavior and manners; manners, especially good manners.
You can tell when a person has breeding.
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Energy. the production in a nuclear reactor of more fissile material than is consumed.
noun
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the process of bearing offspring; reproduction
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the process of producing plants or animals by sexual reproduction
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the result of good training, esp the knowledge of correct social behaviour; refinement
a man of breeding
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a person's line of descent
his breeding was suspect
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physics a process occurring in a nuclear reactor as a result of which more fissionable material is produced than is used up
Other Word Forms
- nonbreeding adjective
Etymology
Origin of breeding
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.
Because these lentils have been shaped for centuries to thrive in hot, dry conditions, they could become an important resource for breeding crops that can cope with ongoing climate change.
From Science Daily
"We don't know yet if this lack of response to boat noise is making whales communicate less effectively or making breeding practices more difficult," Girola said.
From Salon
No eggs were observed in the nest in recent breeding seasons, which Barrett said points toward the likelihood that the resident male hawk was in fact an elderly Pale Male, no longer interested in propagating.
From Seattle Times
In the 1980s, all 22 California condors left in the wild were put into captive breeding programs to save the species.
From Seattle Times
In the decades since, captive breeding programs have helped the population recover.
From New York Times
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.
