purebred

[ adjective pyoor-bred; noun pyoor-bred ]

See synonyms for purebred on Thesaurus.com

adjective

of or relating to an animal, all of whose ancestors derive over many generations from a recognized breed.

noun

a purebred animal, especially one of registered pedigree.

Origin of purebred

First recorded in 1865–70; pure + bred

Words Nearby purebred

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use purebred in a sentence

Stereotypes about purebreds could affect how those dogs are treated — and thus behave.
A dog’s breed doesn’t say much about its behavior | Anna Gibbs | June 6, 2022 | Science News For Students
To test this, her team looked at the methylomes from 104 purebred Labrador retrievers.
To figure out your dog’s ‘real’ age, you’ll need a calculator | Bethany Brookshire | August 12, 2020 | Science News For Students
This means that you need more than 100 purebred individuals in the founding generation.
How to Design (or at Least Model) Mixed Dog Breeds | Pradeep Mutalik | July 31, 2020 | Quanta Magazine
Are the Brogpas of Kashmir in India really the last bastion of purebred Aryans?
The Himalayas’ Hidden Aryans | Nina Strochlic | January 3, 2015 | THE DAILY BEAST
She says the Humane Society would like to enforce spay and neuter laws to the point where there would be no purebred dogs left.
The Sleazy War on the Humane Society | Center for Public Integrity | August 18, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST

Buying a purebred puppy is the type of discretionary spending that has probably fallen off in recent months and could use a boost.
Puppygate | Lee Aitken | November 6, 2008 | THE DAILY BEAST
He bought purebred cows from the B-line folks, and sold them the big, weaned calves.
David Lannarck, Midget | George S. Harney
purebred livestock is raised on many of the farms in this vicinity.
North Dakota | Various
They were bigger than the purebred Kent lambs, and seemed hardy enough.
Joanna Godden | Sheila Kaye-Smith
I might stand one or the other purebred, but the cross seems to bring out the worst strain in both.
Somewhere in Red Gap | Harry Leon Wilson
"Thoroughbred for a horse, and purebred for a cow," Rose repeated willingly.
Dust | Mr. and Mrs. Haldeman-Julius

British Dictionary definitions for purebred

purebred

adjective(ˈpjʊəˈbrɛd)

denoting a pure strain obtained through many generations of controlled breeding for desirable traits

noun(ˈpjʊəˌbrɛd)

a purebred animal: Compare grade (def. 9), crossbred (def. 2)

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

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