breed

present singular third person breeds · participle present breeding · participle past bred · past bred · alternative archaic breede

1. To produce offspring sexually; to bear young.

   Plant breeding is always a numbers game.[…]The wild species we use are rich in genetic variation, and individual plants are highly heterozygous and do not breed true. In addition, we are looking for rare alleles, so the more plants we try, the better.

   2013 May-June, David Van Tassel, Lee DeHaan, “Wild Plants to the Rescue”, in American Scientist, volume 101, number 3

2. transitiveTo give birth to; to be the native place of.

   A pond breeds fish.

   2 more examples

   A northern country breeds stout men.

   Yet every mother breeds not sons alike.

   c. 1588–1593 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Lamentable Tragedy of Titus Andronicus”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act II, scene iii]

3. To mate.
4. transitiveTo keep (animals) and have (them) reproduce in a way that improves the next generation's qualities.
5. oftentransitiveTo arrange the mating of (specific animals).

   She wanted to breed her cow to the neighbor's registered bull.

6. To propagate or grow (plants) in an effort to give (them) certain qualities.

   He tries to breed blue roses.

7. To take care of in infancy and through childhood; to bring up.

   born and bred

   2 more examples

   Ah wretched me! by fates averſe, decreed, / To bring thee forth with pain, with care to breed!

   a. 1701 (date written), John Dryden, “The First Book of Homer’s Ilias”, in The Miscellaneous Works of John Dryden, […], volume IV, London: […] J[acob] and R[ichard] Tonson, […], published 1760, →OCLC, page 437

   born and bred on the verge of the wilderness

   1859, Edward Everett, An Oration on the Occasion of the Dedication of the Statue of Mr. Webster

   Synonyms: raise, bring up, rear

8. To yield or result in.

   disaster breeds famine

   2 more examples

   familiarity breeds contempt

   lest the place / And my queint habits breed astonishment

   Comus

   1634 October 9 (first performance; Gregorian calendar), [John Milton], edited by H[enry] Lawes, A Maske Presented at Ludlow Castle, 1634: […] [Comus], London: […] [Augustine Matthews] for Hvmphrey Robinson, […], published 1637, →OCLC; reprinted as Comus: […] (Dodd, Mead & Company’s Facsimile Reprints of Rare Books; Literature Series; no. I), New York, N.Y.: Dodd, Mead & Company, 1903, →OCLC, page 6, lines 156–157

9. intransitiveobsoleteTo be formed in the parent or dam; to be generated or to grow, like young before birth.
10. sometimesTo educate; to instruct; to bring up.

    No care was taken to breed him a Protestant.

    a. 1716 (date written), [Gilbert] Burnet, edited by [Gilbert Burnet Jr.], Bishop Burnet’s History of His Own Time. […], volume (please specify |volume=I or II), London: […] Thomas Ward […], published 1724, →OCLC

    1 more example

    His farm may not […] remove his children too far from him, or the trade he breeds them up in.

    1691, [John Locke], Some Considerations of the Consequences of the Lowering of Interest, and Raising the Value of Money. […], London: […] Awnsham and John Churchill, […], published 1692, →OCLC

11. To produce or obtain by any natural process.

    Children would breed their teeth with much less danger.

    1693, [John Locke], “§13”, in Some Thoughts Concerning Education, London: […] A[wnsham] and J[ohn] Churchill, […], →OCLC

12. intransitiveTo have birth; to be produced, developed, or multiplied.

    Fair encounter Of two most rare affections! Heavens rain grace On that which breed between 'em!

    1610–1611 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tempest”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act III, scene i]

13. slangtransitivevulgarTo ejaculate inside (a person or a bodily orifice of same); to creampie.

    2018, Cassandra Dee, Paying My Boyfriend's Debt: A Billionaire Bad Boy Romance, Cassandra Dee Romance via PublishDrive “God, I love your ass,” he says, his voice almost a growl. “I'm gonna breed this ass tonight.”

    4 more examples

    “ Yes,” I said. “You want to fuck me, and I submit to you. My body is yours. Stuff me. Fill me. Breed my ass. Seed me, my love.

    2015, David Holly, The Heart's Eternal Desire, Bold Strokes Books Inc, →ISBN

    Then...you get...bred.

    year unknown, Tymber Dalton, Disorder in the House [Suncoast Society], Siren-BookStrand, page 32

    “I can't...can't last, baby.” / “I don't care. Come inside me. Breed me.”

    2017, Casper Graham, Same Script, Different Cast [Scripts & Lyrics Trilogy], Siren-BookStrand, →ISBN, page 41

    "Are you clean?" he asked. / "Yeah, I get tested recently." / "Perfect. Breed me.”

    2017, Casper Graham, Nothing Short of a Miracle [Scripts & Lyrics Trilogy], Siren-BookStrand, →ISBN, page 19

    Synonyms: creampie, cream

plural breeds · alternative archaic breede

1. All animals or plants of the same species or subspecies.

   a breed of tulip

   1 more example

   a breed of animal

2. A race or lineage; offspring or issue.

   And nothing 'gainst Time's scythe can make defence Save breed, to brave him when he takes thee hence.

   1609, William Shakespeare, “Sonnet 12”, in Shake-speares Sonnets. […], London: By G[eorge] Eld for T[homas] T[horpe] and are to be sold by William Aspley, →OCLC

3. informalA group of people with shared characteristics.

   People who were taught classical Greek and Latin at school are a dying breed.

4. abbreviationderogatoryellipsisEllipsis of half-breed.

   I understood what Aurelia meant though—I was light, clearly a breed.

   1984, Louise Erdrich, Love Medicine, Harper Perennial, published 2009, page 24

   1 more example

   […] you stinking breed!" he answered through gritted teeth. John leaned down and placed the barrel of his six-gun hard against one of Dunlap's eyes.

   1997, Rosanne Bittner, Texas Embrace, page 300

plural Breeds

1. countableuncountableA surname.
2. countableuncountableA town and unincorporated community therein, in Oconto County, Wisconsin, United States, named after postmaster George M. Breed.