Breeding

//ˈbɹiːdɪŋ// adj, name, noun, verb, slang

adj, name, noun, verb, slang ·Common ·High school level

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    Propagation of offspring through sexual reproduction. countable, uncountable

    "In analysing the ecological conditions of an animal population we have above all to focus our attention upon the most sensitive stages within the life cycle of the animal, that is, the period of breeding and larval development."

  2. 2
    the sexual activity of conceiving and bearing offspring wordnet
  3. 3
    The act of insemination by natural or artificial means. countable, uncountable
  4. 4
    the production of animals or plants by inbreeding or hybridization wordnet
  5. 5
    The act of copulation in animals. countable, uncountable
Show 7 more definitions
  1. 6
    helping someone grow up to be an accepted member of the community wordnet
  2. 7
    The good manners regarded as characteristic of the aristocracy and conferred by heredity. countable, uncountable
  3. 8
    elegance by virtue of fineness of manner and expression wordnet
  4. 9
    Nurture; education; formation of manners. countable, uncountable

    "She had her breeding at my father's charge."

  5. 10
    the result of good upbringing (especially knowledge of correct social behavior) wordnet
  6. 11
    Descent; pedigree; extraction. countable, uncountable

    "Your dog has good breeding."

  7. 12
    Ejaculation inside the rectum during bareback anal sex. countable, slang, uncountable
Verb
  1. 1
    present participle and gerund of breed form-of, gerund, participle, present

    "Through genetic manipulation and harsh training, I am breeding a species of super-dogs to take over the world."

Adjective
  1. 1
    Of, relating to or used for breeding. not-comparable

    "Your toothbrush is a breeding ground for bacteria."

Adjective
  1. 1
    producing offspring or set aside especially for producing offspring wordnet
Proper Noun
  1. 1
    A surname.

Synonyms

All synonyms
alpha decayancestryanimal husbandryanimal rearinganticipatingapprenticeship

Example

More examples

"This chemical will prevent germs from breeding."

Etymology

Etymology 1

From Middle English breedyng, bredynge (“gestation, incubation, propagation, hatching; engineering, formation, development, growth”), equivalent to breed + -ing.

Etymology 2

From Middle English bredyng, bredynge, from Old English *brēdende, from Proto-Germanic *brōdijandz, present participle of Proto-Germanic *brōdijaną (“to brood; breed”), equivalent to breed + -ing.

Related phrases

breeding groundbreeding groundbreeding hipscross-breedingdog breedingline breedingnon-breedingselective breeding

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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.