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.
See Examples For:
During the second inspection, inspectors found decaying organic waste, wastewater, food residue, unsanitary conditions that allowed the breeding of flies, as well as live and dead flies along the northern perimeter of the warehouse.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 25, 2026
Nearly 11,000 mosquito breeding sites have been cleared so far this month, while more than 4,000 premises fined for harbouring those sites.
From BBC ● Jul. 23, 2026
Sean Clough, from Hull Butterfly City, said small skipper butterflies had been breeding in the meadow, which he described as "rare for a city".
From BBC ● Jul. 23, 2026
Cities across the Western world are struggling to address housing and affordability crises, squeezing residents and developers alike and breeding discontent.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 20, 2026
The overpopulation created a breeding ground for illness.
From "A Few Red Drops: The Chicago Race Riot of 1919" by Claire Hartfield
Louise Leatherdale, owner and co-founder of Leatherdale Farms in Long Lake, Minn., which is considered among the best breeders of dressage horses, said she might charge as little as $2,000 for two breedings.
From New York Times ● May 4, 2018
From there, he landed a job selling stallion breedings for the famed Walmac Farm.
From New York Times ● Apr. 2, 2015
In his new home, Yankee Gentleman quickly jumped from about 30 breedings to 94, at $5,000 per time.
From Time ● Apr. 28, 2010
Her mind was taken from morbid breedings as they climbed stairs and explored rooms and questioned agents.
From Youth Challenges by Kelland, Clarence Budington
These wholesome activities prevented any morbid breedings or introspections, and furnished the best possible tonic for the strengthening of her moral purposes.
From Neville Trueman, the Pioneer Preacher : a tale of the war of 1812 by Withrow, W. H. (William Henry)
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.
