breeding 1 of 2

noun

ˈbrē-diŋ How to pronounce breeding (audio)
Definition of breedingnext
as in lineage
the line of ancestors from whom a person is descended a family of good breeding that is well respected in the community

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

breeding

2 of 2

verb

present participle of breed
1
as in reproducing
to bring forth offspring rabbits will breed very frequently unless they're kept separated

Synonyms & Similar Words
2
as in raising
to bring to maturity through care and education he was bred to a life in the military by his father, himself an army captain

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in creating
to be the cause of (a situation, action, or state of mind) this habit of favoring one employee over the others will breed resentment

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in sleeping
to engage in sexual intercourse cats breeding outside our window made a horrible racket last night

Synonyms & Similar Words
5
as in planting
to set permanently in the consciousness or mind-set parents who breed in their children a deep respect for people of all classes

Synonyms & Similar Words

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 breeding
Noun
That’s why the researchers say the tool could be useful for rescuing endangered species with a few individuals left—scientists could create fertile breeding pairs using just one male donor. — Gennaro Tomma, Scientific American, 13 Oct. 2026 Together, these breeding methods have helped Holsteins maintain and improve the high milk production for which they are valued. — Encyclopedia Britannica, 7 Oct. 2026
Verb
The first calf was born in 2013; by 2025, the project had become one of Namibia’s larger privately run rhino-breeding operations. — Rhett Ayers Butler, Los Angeles Times, 30 Sep. 2026 The William & Mary biologist followed their recovery from the DDT era as the bay became home to the world’s largest breeding population of ospreys. — Mark Robichaux, Washington Post, 27 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for breeding
Recent Examples of Synonyms for breeding
  1. lineage
  2. reproducing
  3. raising
  4. creating
  5. sleeping
  6. planting
  7. ancestry
  8. propagating
Noun
  • The country’s storied motorsport lineage can be traced to 1963, when Formula 1 originally added a Grand Prix in Mexico’s capital.
    — Alan Chazaro, Condé Nast Traveler, 26 Oct. 2026
  • Payments to individuals vary based on the closest lineage to the family members and continue into perpetuity.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 24 Oct. 2026
Definition of lineage
Verb
  • Turning chemical signals into digital instructions Recreating smell presents a different challenge from reproducing images or sound.
    — Atharva Gosavi, Interesting Engineering, 24 Oct. 2026
  • The likelier explanation, Seth said, is that the models have absorbed a great deal of information about how humans describe and respond to pain and are reproducing it.
    — Shae Lake, Fortune, 22 Oct. 2026
Definition of reproducing
Verb
  • And already this week, at least one county official is raising questions about why his locality is on the DOJ's list.
    — Miles Parks, NPR, 22 Oct. 2026
  • Privacy concerns The very same design elements that make Muse so appealing to AI newcomers are also raising privacy concerns.
    — Andrew R. Chow, Time, 22 Oct. 2026
Definition of raising
Verb
  • Bowman’s work is part of a growing trend that’s not just about introducing new dishes to the local food scene; creating a market for invasive species may also bring ecological benefits for the local environment.
    — Victoria Malloy, Time, 21 Oct. 2026
  • There is no one-size-fits-all approach to working capital, and taking the time to understand the tradeoffs can help businesses choose financing that supports sustainable growth rather than creating additional financial pressure.
    — Andrew Coon, Forbes.com, 20 Oct. 2026
Definition of creating
Verb
  • On June 24, Matis blew through a stop sign and slammed into a home on the 2900 block of Southwest 57th Avenue, where Bezy was sleeping.
    — Grethel Aguila, Miami Herald, 22 Oct. 2026
  • Health organizations, including Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Columbus, Ohio, say too much caffeine can cause significant side effects, including tremors, anxiety, difficulty sleeping, seizures and other complications.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 22 Oct. 2026
Definition of sleeping
Verb
  • In the finale, before Lee and Adam learn Aron has been killed in action in World War I, Lee is flipping through a seed catalogue, Adam is planting something, and then the telegram arrives and the two of you share this look.
    — Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 21 Oct. 2026
  • Miller said the seedlings typically grow for about a year and are only sent for planting in regions in which specific species thrive.
    — Dillon Thomas, CBS News, 21 Oct. 2026
Definition of planting
Noun
  • All participants were also of European ancestry, so the findings may not apply to people of different races and ethnicities.
    — Tom Gavin, EverydayHealth.com, 21 Oct. 2026
  • Despite Africa’s central place in human origins and its extraordinary genetic diversity, people of African ancestry remain underrepresented in the genomic datasets used to understand disease, estimate health risks, and develop treatments.
    — Segun Fatumo, semafor.com, 19 Oct. 2026
Definition of ancestry
Verb
  • 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
  • What prevents an incorrect action from propagating into the physical process?
    — Gregory Shahnovsky, Forbes.com, 13 Oct. 2026
Definition of propagating

Phrases Containing breeding

Browse Nearby Words

breed
breeding
breeding ground
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Breeding.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/breeding. Accessed 27 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on breeding

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about breeding

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of milieu

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Why do we 'bury the lede?'

'Za' and 9 Other Words to Help You Win at SCRABBLE
See More

Popular

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
different halloween monsters in silhouette
A Monstrous Vocab Quiz Words That Go Bump in the Night
See All