breed
To produce offspring sexually; to bear young.
Other meanings
To give birth to; to be the native place of.
“A pond breeds fish.”
To keep (animals) and have (them) reproduce in a way that improves the next generation's qualities.
Synonyms
- multiply
Related words
- breed in and in
- breed like rabbits
- cross-breed
- best of breed
- breeder
- slave-breeding
- breeding
- breed up
- breedable
- breedbate
- breedy
- colorbreed
Word history
From Old English "brēdan".
Where this comes from
This definition is adapted from “breed” on Wiktionary, by its contributors; related-word lists use Open English WordNet (CC BY 4.0, based on Princeton WordNet), published under CC BY-SA 4.0. This page is published under the same licence.