breed

breedverb

To breed is to have young, to keep animals or plants so that they produce more, or to cause something to develop and grow.

1. of animalsmate and produce young

   Used of animals, birds, fish, and insects.

   intransitive [I] animals

   • Rabbits breed quickly.
   • These birds breed only once a year.
   • Many fish breed in the spring.

   Collocations

   adverb + verb breed quickly, breed rapidly

2. keep animals or plantskeep animals or plants so that they produce more, especially of a particular type

   transitive [T] verb + object [V + obj] agricultureanimals

   • She breeds horses on her farm. V + obj
   • The company breeds a rare type of rose. V + obj
   • He has bred dogs for twenty years. V + obj

   Collocations

   verb + noun breed horses, breed cattle, breed a new variety

   For translators (sense 2)

   Meaning across languages Many languages use different verbs for animals producing young on their own (sense 1) and a person keeping animals to make them reproduce (sense 2); English uses one word for both.

3. causecause something, especially something bad, to exist and grow

   transitive [T] verb + object [V + obj]

   • Poverty breeds crime. V + obj
   • Fear breeds hatred. V + obj
   • Success breeds success. V + obj

   Collocations

   phrase poverty breeds crime, fear breeds hatred

   Synonyms cause