What does breed mean?
Breed is a versatile English word that functions as both a verb and a noun. As a verb, it means to mate and produce offspring, as when wild animals return to their birthplace to breed, and more specifically to rear animals or plants deliberately so that successive generations display desired qualities, as farmers have done with livestock and crops for millennia. Figuratively, breed describes conditions that give rise to something, usually undesirable: neglect can breed resentment, and damp can breed mould. As a noun, a breed is a distinct stock or variety within a species, such as the Labrador retriever or the Angus cattle breed, shaped by generations of selective breeding. The word extends metaphorically to people and things, as in 'a rare breed' or 'a new breed of leader'. Its past tense is bred, not 'breeded'. Rooted in Old English, breed connects etymologically to 'brood', reflecting its ancient association with hatching and rearing young.
(intransitive) To mate and produce offspring; (transitive) to rear animals or plants deliberately in order to develop particular qualities in offspring; (figurative) to give rise to or be the source of something.
"Pandas rarely breed successfully in captivity."
The figurative transitive use typically takes something negative as its object: 'fear breeds violence'.
A stock or variety of animal (or plant) within a species, especially one produced and maintained by selective breeding; by extension, a type or class of person or thing.
"The breed nearly died out until enthusiasts revived it in the twentieth century."
Standard regular plural, used chiefly in agricultural, zoological, and figurative contexts.
"The show featured over forty breeds of dog."
The word 'breed' is so old it predates modern English itself — its Old English ancestor meant 'to hatch' or 'to warm eggs', which is why it shares a root with the word 'brood'.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of breed
Breed derives from the Old English verb 'brēdan', meaning to hatch, cherish, or keep warm, which itself comes from the noun 'brōd', meaning brood or offspring — the same source as the modern word 'brood'. The word has been part of English since before the Norman Conquest and has retained its core sense of producing and rearing young throughout its history. Cognates appear in other Germanic languages, including Dutch 'broeden'. The noun sense referring to a distinct variety of domesticated animal developed later, becoming prominent as systematic selective breeding emerged in agriculture.
Related word forms
How breed is actually used
As a verb, breed is irregular: past tense and past participle are both 'bred'. The figurative sense ('poverty breeds crime') carries a slightly formal or literary register. As a noun, 'breed' is used almost exclusively of domesticated or selectively raised animals, though phrases like 'a new breed of entrepreneur' extend it metaphorically to people and things. The phrase 'a rare breed' is common and often affectionate.
Easily confused with breed
Bread is a food made from flour and water, while breed means to raise animals/plants or a variety of livestock — they differ by only one letter.
Bred is simply the past tense and past participle of the verb breed, whereas bread is an unrelated noun meaning the baked foodstuff.