breed

[[t]bri͟ːd[/t]]

♦♦♦

breeds, breeding, bred

1) N-COUNT A breed of a pet animal or farm animal is a particular type of it. For example, terriers are a breed of dog.

...rare breeds of cattle...

Certain breeds are more dangerous than others.

2) VERB If you breed animals or plants, you keep them for the purpose of producing more animals or plants with particular qualities, in a controlled way.

→ See also cross-breed

[V n] He lived alone, breeding horses and dogs...

[V n prep] He used to breed dogs for the police...

[be V-ed to-inf] These dogs are bred to fight.

Derived words:

breeding N-UNCOUNT

There is potential for selective breeding for better yields.

3) VERB When animals breed, they have babies.

Frogs will usually breed in any convenient pond...

[V-ing] The area now attracts over 60 species of breeding birds.

Derived words:

breeding N-UNCOUNT oft N n

During the breeding season the birds come ashore.

4) VERB If you say that something breeds bad feeling or bad behaviour, you mean that it causes bad feeling or bad behaviour to develop.

[V n] If they are unemployed it's bound to breed resentment...

[V n] Reminding all concerned that violence breeds violence, they repeat their appeal for calm and restraint.

Syn:

create

5) N-COUNT: usu sing, with supp You can refer to someone or something as one of a particular breed of person or thing when you want to talk about what they are like.

Sue is one of the new breed of British women squash players who are making a real impact...

The new breed of walking holidays puts the emphasis on enjoyment, not endurance...

I had found that rare breed of man who was not afraid of committing himself.

Syn:

strain

6) → See also , ill-bred, , well-bred

7) PHRASE Someone who was born and bred in a place was born there and grew up there.

familiarity breeds contempt → see familiarity

I was born and bred in the highlands...

Born and bred in this country, he and his wife emigrated to Los Angeles after the war...

A Londoner born and bred, she suspected that a month in the country would bore her to distraction.