born and bred


Born and educated in a single locale or social class. For example, Adam was a Bostonian, born and bred. Although the two words were paired earlier, the precise locution dates from the mid-1800s.

The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.

How to use born and bred in a sentence

  • I could not well tell this born-and-bred merchant that my guardian thought I ought to feel above trade.

    In the Valley | Harold Frederic
  • He was ignored as only a born-and-bred Bostonian can ignore a man.

    Toaster's Handbook | Peggy Edmund and Harold W. Williams, compilers