crossbreed

American  

[kraws-breed, kros-] / ˈkrɔsˌbrid, ˈkrɒs- /

verb (used with object)

crossbred, crossbreeding

1. to produce (a hybrid); hybridize.

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verb (used without object)

crossbred, crossbreeding

1. to undertake or engage in hybridizing; hybridize.

noun

1. an animal or group of animals produced by hybridization; hybrid.

crossbreed British  

/ ˈkrɒsˌbriːd /

verb

1. Also: interbreed.  to breed (animals or plants) using parents of different races, varieties, breeds, etc

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noun

1. the offspring produced by such a breeding

crossbreed Scientific  

/ krôs′brēd′ /

1. To produce a hybrid animal or plant by breeding two animals or two plants of different species or varieties. For example, crossbreeding a male donkey with a female horse will produce a mule.

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1. An animal or a plant produced by breeding two animals or plants of different species or varieties; a hybrid.

Etymology

Origin of crossbreed

First recorded in 1665–75; cross- + breed

Explanation

A crossbreed is an animal or plant that’s a mixture of two different breeds or types. To crossbreed is to produce a creature of this type. If you crossbreed a lion and a tiger, you make a liger. Geneticists, who study DNA, make crossbreeds when they mix parents with different genes to create a new type of offspring. Often such crossbreeds are new kinds of plants. Different animals can be mixed to create crossbreeds, too. A common example of a crossbreed is with dog breeds, like when a poodle and a schnauzer are bred to create a schnoodle.

Example Sentences

The study also found differences between the owners of crossbreed and purebred dogs.

From BBC • Mar. 18, 2026

And when distant relatives "crossbreed," this can lead to the emergence of viruses with completely new properties.

From Science Daily • May 13, 2024

Four years ago, Greene charged $75,000 for one of her fully trained dogs, a crossbreed of German, Belgian and Dutch shepherds with distinctive black masks and a stern wolfy appearance.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 1, 2023

Hershtik learned from Sela about the world of snake handling and the two set up snake exhibits together and partnered to crossbreed the reptiles.

From Seattle Times • May 15, 2022

Where the two subspecies occur together, individuals of one subspecies do not crossbreed with individuals of the other subspecies and therefore react toward one another as do full species.

From Speciation of the Wandering Shrew by Findley, James S.

Related Words

• hybridize
• interbreed
• mix