breed
breed — verb
1. when animals breed, a male and female join and later have babies.
when animals breed, a male and female join and later have babies.
Wild rabbits breed quickly when spring weather stays warm and dry.
animals breed + adverb
On the island, sea turtles breed near the beach each summer.
breed near + place
The foxes do not breed during the coldest months of the year.
After heavy rain, frogs breed in shallow water by the road.
breed in shallow water
- breed quickly
- breed in spring
- breed near water
- breed during summer
Grammar Patterns
[animal] + breeds
breed in/near + place
breed during + season
Usage Note
Used mainly for animals in ordinary English. Distinguish from sense 2, which is broader and can also describe plants, insects, or bacteria in biology contexts.
Common Mistakes
2. when plants, insects, or other living things breed, they produce more of the sam
when plants, insects, or other living things breed, they produce more of the same kind.
Bacteria breed fast in warm milk left on the table.
subject can be bacteria
These pond plants breed only after spring floods fill the ditches.
subject can be plants
In the lab, fruit flies breed every ten days in glass jars.
breed every + time period
Without natural enemies, the insects breed until leaves disappear.
breed until + result
- breed fast
- breed in warm conditions
- breed after rain
- breed every few weeks
Grammar Patterns
[organism] + breeds
breed in + conditions
breed after + event
Usage Note
Common in biology or science writing. Distinguish from sense 1 by its wider range of subjects: it can describe plants or very small living things, not only mating animals.
Common Mistakes
3. to raise animals or plants so they have young with qualities you want.
to raise animals or plants so they have young with qualities you want.
Leila breeds sheep for wool on a farm near Inverness.
breed + object + for purpose
These roses were bred from two hardy plants at the Kyoto nursery.
passive: be bred from
For ten years, Yusuf has bred guide dogs for blind children.
At the Chengdu center, only a few pandas breed well in captivity.
intransitive: breed well in captivity
The family breeds chickens behind the house and sells the eggs.
- breed sheep for wool
- breed dogs
- breed roses
- breed from strong stock
- breed in captivity
- raise
broader; focuses on keeping and caring for animals, not necessarily controlled reproduction
- rear
close in meaning but slightly more formal, especially for young animals
- grow
the usual word for plants when reproduction is not the main point
- crossbreed
more specific; combines two different lines or varieties
Grammar Patterns
breed animals/plants
breed something for + purpose
be bred from + parent stock
Usage Note
Often takes a direct object naming the animal or plant. Add 'for' to show the goal and 'from' to name the parent stock used to produce the new line.
Common Mistakes
4. to gradually create a feeling or condition, often an unwanted one.
to gradually create a feeling or condition, often an unwanted one.
Long waits at the clinic breed anger among tired patients.
breed + negative feeling
Private budget talks can breed distrust among nurses on the night shift.
breed distrust among + group
Years of unfair rules bred fear in the small village.
past tense: bred + abstract noun
Jokes about bonuses can breed resentment in a small sales team.
breed resentment in + group
Regular praise breeds confidence in young players during training.
positive feeling as object
- breed fear
- breed distrust
- breed resentment
- breed confidence
- breed anger
Grammar Patterns
breed + feeling
breed + situation
Usage Note
Object is usually an abstract noun such as fear, distrust, resentment, or confidence. This sense is more common in writing than in casual spoken English.
Common Mistakes
born and bred
idiomSomeone who is born and bred in a place was born there and grew up there.
Maya is a New Yorker, born and bred.
He was born and bred in a small fishing village.
breed like rabbits
idiomIf people or animals breed like rabbits, they produce many babies very quickly.
Those stray cats breed like rabbits in the summer.
In the story, the magical creatures breed like rabbits.
When you know someone or something very well, you may start to dislike or disrespect them.
After years together, familiarity bred contempt between the partners.
The saying goes that familiarity breeds contempt in long friendships.
breed — noun
1. an established group of animals or plants with shared features.
an established group of animals or plants with shared features.
The farmer keeps two breeds of goats on the hillside.
breeds of + animal
At our park, poodles are a popular breed with first-time owners.
breed with + owner group
This tomato breed grows well in dry soil behind the school.
plant use of breed
At the show, each dog breed had its own judge.
dog breed collocation
Some horse breeds carry heavy loads over mountain paths.
- dog breed
- horse breed
- rare breed
- breed standard
- breeds of goats
Grammar Patterns
a breed of + animal/plant
[animal] breed
Usage Note
Most often used for animals, especially dogs, horses, and cats, but it can also describe cultivated plants. It commonly follows another noun, as in 'dog breed' or 'horse breed'.
Common Mistakes
2. a recognizable sort, especially of people or products, with its own style.
a recognizable sort, especially of people or products, with its own style.
Kai is a different breed of teacher, calm even on the first day.
breed of + person
That small cafe attracts a different breed of tourist.
The company built a new breed of battery for city buses.
breed of + thing
Hospitals now need a new breed of manager who understands digital records.
a new breed of + person
The club wants a younger breed of leader for the next election.
- a new breed of
- a different breed of
- the breed of teacher
- the breed of manager
- a younger breed of leader
Grammar Patterns
a breed of + person
a breed of + thing
Usage Note
Usually appears in the pattern 'a breed of + person/thing'. Unlike sense 1, this use is figurative and often suggests a noticeable style, attitude, or way of working.
Common Mistakes
Word family
- breedernounB2
- breedingnounC1
- well-bredadjectiveC1
Synonym discussion
Sense: verb/3
In sense 3, breed is more specific than raise, rear, or grow. If you breed animals or plants, you control reproduction so the young have qualities you want, such as softer wool or stronger flowers. Raise is broader: a farmer can raise sheep or chickens even when reproduction is not the focus. Rear is close to raise but slightly more formal, especially for young animals. Grow is the normal word for plants, but it does not by itself suggest choosing parent plants. Crossbreed is narrower still, because it means mixing two different lines. A farmer may raise sheep, but a specialist breeds sheep for better wool. A gardener can grow roses, but a nursery breeds new roses from strong parent plants.
Etymology
The word comes from Old English 'bredan'. In early use, it referred to bringing up, keeping warm, or producing young. From that base, English developed the modern verb for animals and plants producing offspring, and for people guiding that process for a purpose. The noun grew from the same family and came to mean a line or type, especially of animals. Later, English also extended the verb to abstract results, as in phrases like 'breed fear' or 'breed distrust'.