brood

[ brood ]

/ brud /

Save This Word!

See synonyms for: brood / brooded / brooder / brooding on Thesaurus.com

noun

a number of young produced or hatched at one time; a family of offspring or young.

a breed, species, group, or kind: The museum exhibited a brood of monumental sculptures.

verb (used with object)

to sit upon (eggs) to hatch, as a bird; incubate.

(of a bird) to warm, protect, or cover (young) with the wings or body.

to think or worry persistently or moodily about; ponder: He brooded the problem.

verb (used without object)

to sit upon eggs to be hatched, as a bird.

to dwell on a subject or to meditate with morbid persistence (usually followed by over or on).

adjective

kept for breeding: a brood hen.

Verb Phrases

brood above / over to cover, loom, or seem to fill the atmosphere or scene: The haunted house on the hill brooded above the village.

SYNONYMS FOR brood

2 line, stock, strain.

See synonyms for brood on Thesaurus.com

QUIZZES

QUIZ YOURSELF ON "WAS" VS. "WERE"!

Were you ready for a quiz on this topic? Well, here it is! See how well you can differentiate between the uses of "was" vs. "were" in this quiz.

Question 1 of 7

“Was” is used for the indicative past tense of “to be,” and “were” is only used for the subjunctive past tense.

true

false

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Meet Grammar Coach

Write or paste your essay, email, or story into Grammar Coach and get grammar help

Improve Your Writing

Meet Grammar Coach

Improve Your Writing

Origin of brood

before 1000; Middle English; Old English brōd; cognate with Dutch broed,German Brut.See breed

synonym study for brood

1. Brood, litter refer to young creatures. Brood is especially applied to the young of fowls and birds hatched from eggs at one time and raised under their mother's care: a brood of young turkeys. Litter is applied to a group of young animals brought forth at a birth: a litter of kittens or pups.

OTHER WORDS FROM brood

broodless, adjectiveun·brood·ed, adjective

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH brood

brewed, brood

Words nearby brood

bronze whaler, bronzing, Bronzino, bronzite, brooch, brood, brood bitch, brood bud, brooder, brooding, broodmare

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021

Example sentences from the Web for brood

As the two prepare for their sons to arrive later this year, familiarize yourself with Cannon’s current brood below.
Nick Cannon And Abby De La Rosa Announce They’re Expecting Twins With Stunning Maternity Shoot|Charli Penn|April 12, 2021|Essence.com
Carlson has two more kids than I have, yet I do not feel as though his brood has disenfranchised me.
Tucker Carlson’s espousal of ‘replacement’ theory is both toxic and ahistoric|Philip Bump|April 9, 2021|Washington Post
This brood has been quietly rummaging around underground for the past 17 years and will not emerge until the soil temperature about a foot below ground reaches 64 degrees.
What is Brood X? When do cicadas come out in 2021? Answering your buggiest questions.|Bonnie Berkowitz, Artur Galocha|April 1, 2021|Washington Post
After hatching in June, hens and their broods seek out wet areas where chicks stock up on protein-rich insects and wildflowers to grow and survive the winter.
Simple hand-built structures can help streams survive wildfires and drought|Brianna Randall|March 26, 2021|Science News

Caring for a humming brood has made him appreciate just how precious a healthy colony is.
Bee theft is almost a perfect crime—but there’s a new sheriff in town|Andrew Zaleski|February 9, 2021|Popular Science
The new trail is slated for February, which happens to be around the time the eagles will likely be starting another brood.
He Faces Jail for Rescuing Baby Eagles|Michael Daly|November 2, 2014|DAILY BEAST
After all, the small congregation— about 40 strong —is comprised almost entirely of the Phelps brood.
This Man Is The Future of Westboro Baptist Church|Caitlin Dickson|March 24, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The key is how much we can brood, and what is meant by brooding—is it to daydream, or is it to agonize over every detail?
‘True Detective,’ Obsessive-Compulsive Noir, and ‘Twin Peaks’|Jimmy So|March 14, 2014|DAILY BEAST
An uncle and his family resided in another house and his aunt and her brood in a third.
A Young Chef Travels to Calabria, Italy, and Learns the Old Ways of Cooking|Curtis Stone|November 28, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Why he went after the Anderson brood is especially puzzling.
Hannah Anderson Captor a ‘Trusted Friend,’ Cat Lover|Christine Pelisek|August 13, 2013|DAILY BEAST
He returned in ten minutes or so, having sat for that period behind a neighbouring tree to brood over his circumstances.
Hunting the Lions|R.M. Ballantyne
What can be prettier than a brood of chickens with a good motherly hen, like the one in this picture!
The Nursery, July 1873, Vol. XIV. No. 1|Various
What will you be, some day, when Posey lays eggs, and brings out a brood of little chickens?
The Nursery, July 1873, Vol. XIV. No. 1|Various
A portly woman, whom Isabel knew to be the mother of a brood, was far more anxious to please.
Ancestors|Gertrude Atherton
Finally only one duckling remained in the middle of the river, probably at once the strongest and most foolish of the brood.
Gold-Seeking on the Dalton Trail|Arthur R. Thompson

British Dictionary definitions for brood

brood

/ (bruːd) /

noun

a number of young animals, esp birds, produced at one hatching

all the offspring in one family: often used jokingly or contemptuously

a group of a particular kind; breed

(as modifier) kept for breedinga brood mare

verb

(of a bird)

to sit on or hatch (eggs)
(tr) to cover (young birds) protectively with the wings

(when intr , often foll by on, over or upon) to ponder morbidly or persistently

Derived forms of brood

brooding, noun, adjectivebroodingly, adverb

Word Origin for brood

Old English brōd; related to Middle High German bruot, Dutch broed; see breed

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Medical definitions for brood

brood

[ brōōd ]

n.

litter

MEANINGS

WORD GAMES

LEARN

WRITING

WORD OF THE DAY

brood