breeding ground
Americannoun
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a place where animals breed or to which they return to breed.
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an environment suitable for or fostering the development of an idea, thing, etc..
a breeding ground for violence.
Etymology
Origin of breeding ground
First recorded in 1930–35
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.
How ironic that social media is the new breeding ground for the kind of toxicity that the people mining Panettiere’s death for views purport to abhor.
From Salon ● Aug. 18, 2026
But when humans began living in villages and towns on the outskirts of those forests, some mosquitoes found the water stored in containers in human settlements a more attractive breeding ground.
From Slate ● Aug. 4, 2026
The best way to prevent infection is to make sure your home is not a breeding ground for virus-carrying mosquitoes.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 13, 2026
According to a new study published in The Astrophysical Journal, a ring-shaped area just beyond Jupiter's orbit acted as both an efficient and remarkably versatile "breeding ground" for planetesimals.
From Science Daily ● May 26, 2026
Another bonanza was the development of world trade routes, which by Roman times effectively joined the populations of Europe, Asia, and North Africa into one giant breeding ground for microbes.
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.
