| 1. | the producing of offspring. |
| 2. | the improvement or development of breeds of livestock, as by selective mating and hybridization. |
| 3. | Horticulture. the production of new forms by selection, crossing, and hybridizing. |
| 4. | training; nurture: He is a man of good breeding. |
| 5. | the result of upbringing or training as shown in behavior and manners; manners, esp. good manners: You can tell when a person has breeding. |
| 6. | Energy. the production in a nuclear reactor of more fissile material than is consumed. |
verb, bred, breed⋅ing, noun | 1. | to produce (offspring); procreate; engender. |
| 2. | to produce by mating; propagate sexually; reproduce: Ten mice were bred in the laboratory. |
| 3. | Horticulture.
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| 4. | to raise (cattle, sheep, etc.): He breeds longhorns on the ranch. |
| 5. | to cause or be the source of; engender; give rise to: Dirt breeds disease. Stagnant water breeds mosquitoes. |
| 6. | to develop by training or education; bring up; rear: He was born and bred a gentleman. |
| 7. | Energy. to produce more fissile nuclear fuel than is consumed in a reactor. |
| 8. | to impregnate; mate: Breed a strong mare with a fast stallion and hope for a Derby winner. |
| 9. | to produce offspring: Many animals breed in the spring. |
| 10. | to be engendered or produced; grow; develop: Bacteria will not breed in alcohol. |
| 11. | to cause the birth of young, as in raising stock. |
| 12. | to be pregnant. |
| 13. | Genetics. a relatively homogenous group of animals within a species, developed and maintained by humans. |
| 14. | lineage; stock; strain: She comes from a fine breed of people. |
| 15. | sort; kind; group: Scholars are a quiet breed. |
| 16. | Offensive. half-breed (def. 2). |
