(breeds, breeding, bred)
Frequency: The word is one of the 3000 most common words in English.
1.
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.
N-COUNT
2.
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.
He lived alone, breeding horses and dogs...
These dogs are bred to fight.
VERB: V n, be V-ed to-inf
• breeding
There is potential for selective breeding for better yields.
N-UNCOUNT
3.
When animals breed, they have babies.
Frogs will usually breed in any convenient pond...
The area now attracts over 60 species of breeding birds.
VERB: V, V-ing
• breeding
During the breeding season the birds come ashore.
N-UNCOUNT: oft N n
4.
If you say that something breeds bad feeling or bad behaviour, you mean that it causes bad feeling or bad behaviour to develop.
If they are unemployed it's bound to breed resentment...
Violence breeds violence.
= create
VERB: V n, V n
5.
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...
= strain
N-COUNT: usu sing, with supp
6.
7.
Someone who was born and bred in a place was born there and grew up there.
I was born and bred in the highlands...
PHRASE
8.