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
Inflected Forms
Nouns
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.
According to Kuchipudi, this made the mammary glands a "perfect breeding ground for the virus."
From Science Daily • Jun. 23, 2026
That has long made the reflecting pool, which is only 3-feet deep, a perfect breeding ground.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 18, 2026
He and others say the bigger problem is illegal breeding, leading to underfed and neglected animals that end up in shelters or dead on the streets.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 14, 2026
With both resorts planned near a key breeding site for migratory birds -- including hundreds of flamingos -- the developments have become a flashpoint for frustrations over perceived corruption in the country.
From Barron's • Jun. 12, 2026
He’d definitely come back a little later in the year and see if they were breeding.
From "The Book of Dust: La Belle Sauvage" by Philip Pullman
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.
