inbreed
Americanverb (used with object)
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to breed (individuals of a closely related group) repeatedly.
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to breed within; engender.
verb (used without object)
verb
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to breed from unions between closely related individuals, esp over several generations
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(tr) to develop within; engender
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of inbreed
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.
Now researchers have figured out one reason the critters are so hardy: they can inbreed, quite robustly, for generations.
From Time • Dec. 7, 2011
It turns out that unlike most creatures, bedbugs are able to inbreed with close relatives and still produce generally healthy offspring.
From Washington Post • Dec. 7, 2011
It turns out that unlike most creatures, bedbugs are able to inbreed with close relatives and still produce generally healthy offspring.
From Washington Post • Dec. 7, 2011
Bed bugs inbreed without ill effects, the researchers said, so even a single mated bed bug can lead to a colony of the blood-sucking insects.
From BusinessWeek • Dec. 6, 2011
For such a group, to survive is to inbreed, and the Amish have more than survived; they now number 44,000.
From Time Magazine Archive
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.
