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
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of breeding
Middle English word dating back to 1250–1300; see origin at breed, -ing 1
Vocabulary lists containing breeding
Growth, Development and Reproduction of Organisms - Middle School
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Growth, Development and Reproduction of Organisms - High School
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The Killer Angels
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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.
The horse has been used as a breeding stallion, with what its admirers say are predictably strong results.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 6, 2026
It was a "major achievement of national cultural policy," the official said, to get the "art of Akhal-Teke horse breeding and traditions of horses' decoration" added to UNESCO's Intangible Cultural Heritage List.
From Barron's • Jun. 5, 2026
The genetic profiling revealed that female belugas regularly switch mates across breeding seasons, also over a long reproductive life.
From Science Daily • Jun. 4, 2026
Beagan said this nesting bird was particularly exciting as it is the "first record we have had of headstarting curlew being back on breeding grounds and potentially breeding".
From BBC • May 31, 2026
Unlike the fox who met his mate only in the breeding season, Amaroq lived with his mate all year.
From "Julie of the Wolves" by Jean Craighead George
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.
