From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishbreedbreed1 /briːd/ ●●○ verb (past tense and past participle bred /bred/) 1 [intransitive]BABY/HAVE A BABY if animals breed, they mate in order to have babies Eagles breed during the cooler months of the year.2 [transitive]TAHB to keep animals or plants in order to produce babies or new plants, especially ones with particular qualities These dogs were originally bred in Scotland to round up sheep. → crossbreed1, purebred, thoroughbred3 [transitive]CAUSE to cause a particular feeling or condition Poor living conditions breed violence and despair.4 [transitive] if a place, situation, or thing breeds a particular type of person, it produces that type Society’s obsession with sex has bred a generation of unhappy children. → well-bred, → born and bred at born1(3)→ See Verb table
Examples from the Corpus
breed• This is a pond where ducks breed.• Decomposing waste and disease-carrying bacteria compete with the fish for oxygen, limiting the number of fish that can be bred.• The music became a fixture on urban radio in the '80s and bred a generation of fans.• The planned deregulation has bred concern that Petron will face stiffer competition and an erosion of its 42 percent market share.• But success in this world seems to breed envy which, in its turn, can breed hostility.• Only some endangered animals can be bred in zoos.• There are lots of them out there and, apparently, they breed like Kennedys.• Another trouble with politics, it breeds politics.• These trees are bred to resist pollution.• Rabbits breed very quickly.breedbreed2 ●●○ noun [countable] 1 TYPEa type of animal that is kept as a pet or on a farmbreed of Spaniels are my favourite breed of dog.2 TYPEa particular kind of person or type of thing Real cowboys are a dying breed (=not many exist anymore). Dodd was one of that rare breed (=there are not many of them) who could make the game of football look simple.breed of a new breed of international criminalExamples from the Corpus
breed• A breed of men to whom truth was open not just to minor revisions and nice distinctions, but to management.• As mentioned earlier, there is some connection between temperament and factors such as build, colour, breed etc.• Spaniels are my favorite breed of dog.• Birds make nests in preparation for breeding.• Some short-haired breeds have guard hairs that are less than 2 inches in length, sparse awn hairs and no down hairs.• Most dairy herds today are of Friesian or Holstein breeds.• Now a new breed of scientists is changing all that.• Shaffer is one of the new breed of wunderkind chefs.• That said, do not be fooled into thinking that the Internet-only breed will automatically offer higher rates.• The hippies have proved a sturdier breed than most.• It's a very unusual breed of goat, dating back to the time of Cleopatra.• What breed of dog is that? I've never seen one like it before.a new breed of• Roller blades are a new breed of roller skates.• They are the names of microcomputers produced by a new breed of electronics entrepreneurs.• The clamp down will create a new breed of locally created censors.• First a new breed of fleet must be dispatched and anchored at 600-mile intervals in the oceans.• Alternative accommodation in the metropolitan area for a new breed of large steamships had become a matter of some urgency.• Now a new breed of scientists is changing all that.• She is particularly proud of her involvement with the recent appointments of a new breed of top entrepreneurial staff.• According to industry officials, a new breed of digital phone transmits in computer code that is much more difficult to intercept.• But over the past few years a new breed of journalist has evolved - hungry, competitive and aggressive.Origin breed1 Old English bredan 