- 1[intransitive] (of animals) to have sex and produce young Many animals breed only at certain times of the year. see interbreed
- 2[transitive] breed something (for/as something) to keep animals or plants in order to produce young ones in a controlled way The rabbits are bred for their long coats. Greyhounds were originally bred as hunting dogs. the first panda to be bred in captivity Topic CollocationsFarminggrowing food and raising animals
- plant trees/seeds/crops/vines/barley
- grow/produce corn/wheat/rice/fruit
- plow land/a field
- sow/harvest seeds/crops/fields
- spread manure/fertilizer on something
- cultivate/irrigate/water/contaminate crops/plants/fields/land
- damage/destroy/lose your crop
- ripen/pick fruit/berries/grapes
- press/dry/ferment grapes
- grind/thresh grain/corn/wheat
- raise/rear/keep chickens/poultry/cattle/pigs
- raise/breed/feed/graze livestock/cattle/sheep
- butcher/kill/slaughter livestock
- preserve/smoke/cure/salt meat
- run a fish farm/an organic dairy farm
- engage in/be involved in intensive (pig/fish) farming
- use/apply (chemical/organic) fertilizer/insecticides/pesticides
- begin/do/conduct field trials of GM (= genetically modified) crops
- grow/develop GM crops/seeds/plants/foods
- fund/invest in genetic engineering/research
- improve/increase crop yields
- face/suffer from/alleviate food shortages
- label food that contains GMOs (= genetically modified organisms)
- eliminate/reduce farm subsidies
- oppose/be against factory farming/GM food
- promote/encourage/support organic/sustainable farming
- 3[transitive] breed something to be the cause of something Nothing breeds success like success.
- 4[transitive, usually passive] breed something into somebody to educate someone in a particular way as they are growing up Fear of failure was bred into him at an early age. see well-bred Idioms
verb jump to other results
NAmE//brid//
Verb Forms present simple I / you / we / they breed he / she / it breeds
past simple bred
-ing form breeding
born and having grown up in a particular place with a particular background and education He was born and bred in Boston. I'm a Chicagoan, born and bred.
knowing someone or something very well may cause you to lose admiration and respect for them/it
Check pronunciation: breed