BREED Synonyms: 210 Similar and Opposite Words

breed 1 of 2

noun

Definition of breed

as in type

a number of persons or things that are grouped together because they have something in common some people say that honest politicians are a rare breed

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Relevance

breed

2 of 2

verb

ˈbrēd

as in to reproduce

to bring forth offspring rabbits will breed very frequently unless they're kept separated

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as in to raise

to bring to maturity through care and education he was bred to a life in the military by his father, himself an army captain

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in to cause

to be the cause of (a situation, action, or state of mind) this habit of favoring one employee over the others will breed resentment

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in to sleep

to engage in sexual intercourse cats breeding outside our window made a horrible racket last night

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as in to plant

to set permanently in the consciousness or mind-set parents who breed in their children a deep respect for people of all classes

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of breed

Noun

Beyond walking, pet owners should tailor exercise to a dog’s breed, age and mobility. — Will Boyd, Baltimore Sun, 17 Oct. 2026 Which dog breeds tend to live the longest If longevity is the priority, a handful of smaller breeds routinely post the longest lifespans, according to breed data compiled by Reader’s Digest. — Hanna Wickes, Miami Herald, 16 Oct. 2026

Verb

But with people in charge, these animals will also likely be excluded from breeding and have less of a chance of passing their genes on. — Alida De Flamingh, The Conversation, 19 Oct. 2026 Where the Birds Go After the Wedding A pigeon bred and trained as a release bird typically returns to a specific home loft after being transported to an event. — Rachel Silva, Martha Stewart, 16 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for breed

Recent Examples of Synonyms for breed

Noun

Over the period, visibility was supported by itinerant pop-ups under the new Miu Miu Vinyl Club format and the brand unveiled the Miu Miu Shanghai IFC lounge, a one-of-a-kind environment providing intimate hospitality.

— Luisa Zargani, Footwear News, 22 Oct. 2026
Still, a controversy of some kind might have been inevitable.

— Jack Denton, Vulture, 22 Oct. 2026

Definition of kind

Verb

That leaves open the distinction between recreating the behavior of an Atari 800XL through modern software and reproducing the original hardware more directly.

— New Atlas, New Atlas, 20 Oct. 2026
Beginning in the 1990s, researchers tested whether adding iron to seawater could reproduce some of that effect.

— Alec Luhn, Scientific American, 20 Oct. 2026

Definition of reproduce

Verb

In 2022, the central bank raised rates by three-quarters of a point six days before the midterm elections, part of its fight against the worst inflation in four decades.

— Aoife Walsh, Washington Post, 27 Oct. 2026
And the evidence uncovered by Chair Loudermilk raises serious questions about Speaker Pelosi's role in those decisions.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 27 Oct. 2026

Definition of raise

Verb

North of the center near Kakinada, the storm could cause about 3 to 5 feet of storm surge, where onshore winds pile water against the coast.

— Aoife Walsh, Washington Post, 27 Oct. 2026
Although officials have not released details about the cause of death, scientists agree that if it was caused by ordinary plague, the wider world has little to worry about.

— Faye Flam, Scientific American, 27 Oct. 2026

Definition of cause

Verb

Just one day earlier, he was diagnosed with a superficial blood clot in his left calf and ordered by doctors to stay awake overnight, according to NFL insiders, who report the quarterback did not sleep for roughly 36 hours.

— Mark Osborne, CBS News, 20 Oct. 2026
As a result, your mind is always searching for the next project to tackle or problem to solve, distracting you while hanging out with family or keeping you from sleeping.

— Melody Wilding, Contributor, CNBC, 20 Oct. 2026

Definition of sleep

Verb

Last month, two South Korean soldiers were seriously wounded by what Seoul says were North Korean mines planted as part of those fortifications.

— Anna Coren, CBS News, 22 Oct. 2026
Overton, however, claimed that both informants were lying — and that the semen found on the comforter was planted on the scene by a spurned ex-lover with connections to the police department.

— Grethel Aguila, Miami Herald, 22 Oct. 2026

Definition of plant

Noun

Hemsworth’s work has always spanned genres—just look at his omnivorous DJ sets—but Numbskull positions him as a more traditional songwriter, underscored by the album’s personal, earnest tone.

— Mehan Jayasuriya, Pitchfork, 22 Oct. 2026
The streamer subsequently ordered originals from them and began to reach out to creators in other genres, spanning food (Nick DiGiovanni), talk (Good Mythical Morning with Rhett & Link) and teen content (Alan Chikin Chow).

— Alex Weprin, HollywoodReporter, 21 Oct. 2026

Definition of genre

Verb

View this post on Instagram Because of the news of her divorce, the post trickled through the celebrity gossip outlets, and that coverage in turn propagated the post through Google search.

— Mia Sato, The Verge, 15 Oct. 2026
The flow of the attacks was (1) finding targets, (2) gaining code execution, (3) establishing inference, and (4) propagating to new hosts.

— Dan Goodin, ArsTechnica, 14 Oct. 2026