What does "brood" mean?
The young of certain animals, especially a group of young birds or fowl hatched at one time by the same mother.
Brood
/bɹuːd/ adj, noun, verb
adj, noun, verb ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: The young of certain animals, especially a group of young birds or fowl hatched at one time by the same mother.
- Grammar: brood is listed as adj, noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: agonising, agonize, agonizes, anguished.
- Useful contrasts: adult, cool, disregard.
- Usage evidence: The hen keeps her brood under her.
How to use "brood"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "brood" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "brood" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "brood" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "brood" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "brood" is acting as adj, noun, verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "agonising" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "brood", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 The young of certain animals, especially a group of young birds or fowl hatched at one time by the same mother. countable, uncountable
"As a hen doth gather her brood under her wings."
- 2 the young of an animal cared for at one time wordnet
- 3 The young of any egg-laying creature, especially if produced at the same time. uncountable
- 4 The eggs and larvae of social insects such as bees, ants and some wasps, especially when gathered together in special brood chambers or combs within the colony. countable, uncountable
- 5 The children in one family; offspring. countable, uncountable
"Ay, lord, she will become thy bed, I warrant, / And bring thee forth brave brood."
Show 4 more definitions
- 6 That which is bred or produced; breed; species. countable, uncountable
"[…] flocks of the airy brood, Cranes, geese or long-neck'd swans, here, there, proud of their pinions fly […]"
- 7 Parentage. countable, uncountable
- 8 Heavy waste in tin and copper ores. countable, uncountable
- 9 A large number or crowd of people, animals, or objects. countable, uncountable
Verb
- 1 To keep an egg warm to make it hatch. transitive
"In some species of birds, both the mother and father brood the eggs."
- 2 sit on (eggs) wordnet
- 3 To protect (something that is gradually maturing); to foster. transitive
"Under the rock was a midshipman fish, brooding a mass of eggs."
- 4 think moodily or anxiously about something wordnet
- 5 (typically with over, on or about) To dwell upon moodily and at length, mainly alone. intransitive
"He sat brooding about the upcoming battle, fearing the outcome."
Show 4 more definitions
- 6 be in a huff; be silent or sullen wordnet
- 7 To be bred. intransitive
- 8 be in a huff and display one's displeasure wordnet
- 9 hang over, as of something threatening, dark, or menacing wordnet
Adjective
- 1 Kept or reared for breeding. not-comparable
"brood ducks"
Synonyms
All synonymsExample
"The hen keeps her brood under her."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "brood"?
Common synonyms include: agonising, agonize, agonizes, anguished, animal kingdom, be abstracted.
How do you use "brood" in a sentence?
The hen keeps her brood under her.
How do you pronounce "brood"?
Pronounced /bɹuːd/.
Etymology
From Middle English brood, brod, from Old English brōd (“brood; foetus; breeding, hatching”), from Proto-Germanic *brōduz (“heat, breeding”), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰreh₁- (“breath, mist, vapour, steam”).