Meanings
present singular third person interbreeds · participle present interbreeding · participle past interbred · past interbred
- ambitransitiveTo breed or reproduce within a heterogenous community, the products of which produce hybrids.
In the wild, deer mice and oldfield mice never interbreed.
2017 April 19, Carl Zimmer, “Why Are Some Mice (and People) Monogamous? A Study Points to Genes”, in The New York Times3 more examples
The rypes and our red grouse are identically the same bird, though disease has never been known in the former, and even interbreeding with the red grouse, to the limited extent they are ever likely to do, should do more good than harm.
1909, Knowledge and Illustrated Scientific News, volume 32, page 426The city's two-inch Environmental Review Technical Manual instructs regulators to consider adverse environmental impacts on "any subspecies" or "any distinct population segment . . . which interbreeds when mature."
2001 April 13, John Tierney, “The Big City; Stray Dogs As a Litigant's Best Friend”, in The New York TimesThe rock dove has so interbred with the feral pigeons from doocots and racing pigeon lofts that, as a pure species, it may possibly now be extinct in Britain.
2009 January 29, Ray Collier, “Country diary”, in The Guardian
Synonyms & antonyms
verbbreed animals or plants using parents of different races and varieties
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Proto-Indo-European*h₁én
- Proto-Indo-European*h₁n̥tér
- Proto-Italic*n̥ter
- Latininter
- Latininter-
- Englishinter-
- Proto-Indo-European*bʰreh₁-
- Proto-Indo-European*bʰroh₁tús
- Proto-Germanic*brōduz
- Proto-Germanic*brōdijaną
- Proto-West Germanic*brōdijan
- Old Englishbrēdan
- Middle Englishbreden
- Englishbreed
- Englishinterbreed
Translations
Bulgarian кръстосвам
- кръстосвам (krăstosvam)to breed or reproduce within a heterogenous community, the products of which produce hybrids
Dutch intelen, hybridiseren
- intelento breed or reproduce within an isolated community
- hybridiserento breed or reproduce within a heterogenous community, the products of which produce hybrids
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with interbreed
Cite this entry
interbreed. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/interbreed
“interbreed.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/interbreed. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “interbreed,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/interbreed.
Source: interbreed on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.