breed */*/

I UK [briːd] / US [brɪd] verb
Word forms "breed":
present tense I/you/we/they breed he/she/it breeds present participle breeding past tense bred UK [bred] / US past participle bred

1)

a) [intransitive] if animals breed, they become the parents of young animals

The birds have bred successfully for the past six years.

b) humorous to have children

2) [transitive] to produce new plants or animals from existing ones, especially in order to produce plants or animals with particular characteristics

She breeds sheep.

attempts to breed a new disease-resistant type of corn

3)

a) [transitive] to make negative feelings or situations develop

Secrecy breeds distrust.

b) sometimes used for saying that something good develops

Success tends to breed success.

••

See:

familiarity

•

- be bred of something

- breed like rabbits

II UK [briːd] / US [brɪd] noun [countable]
Word forms "breed":
singular breed plural breeds

1) a group of animals that have particular characteristics that make them different from others of the same species. The characteristics have often been produced in a controlled way by mating particular animals.

breed of:

What breeds of dog are especially good with children?

2) a particular type of person or thing

a rare/dying breed:

His father was one of a dying breed – a truly independent politician.

breed of:

one of the new breed of Internet millionaires