as in types
a number of persons or things that are grouped together because they have something in common
some people say that honest politicians are a rare breed
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
1
as in reproduces
to bring forth offspring
rabbits will breed very frequently unless they're kept separated
Synonyms & Similar Words
2
as in fosters
to bring to maturity through care and education
he was bred to a life in the military by his father, himself an army captain
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in causes
to be the cause of (a situation, action, or state of mind)
this habit of favoring one employee over the others will breed resentment
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in sleeps
to engage in sexual intercourse
cats breeding outside our window made a horrible racket last night
Synonyms & Similar Words
5
as in plants
to set permanently in the consciousness or mind-set
parents who breed in their children a deep respect for people of all classes
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of breeds
Alexandra Simon, CBS News, 26 Apr. 2026
What’s known as a mixed American minipig is instead a hybrid, a mix of breeds, that stands about knee-high or 20 inches tall at the shoulder.
—Eric Adler
april 26, Kansas City Star, 26 Apr. 2026
Dog breeds like pugs and French and English bulldogs now have significantly altered skull shapes that result in serious, and even life-threatening, issues created by our value of aesthetics.
—New Atlas, 24 Apr. 2026
The name Wagyu refers to a few breeds of Japanese cattle that typically have an exceptionally high fat content.
—Sam Stone, Bon Appetit Magazine, 24 Apr. 2026
The dogs’ breeds were not immediately known.
—David Goodhue
april 24, Miami Herald, 24 Apr. 2026
Renters may live in properties that restrict certain animals or breeds.
—Samantha Agate, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 23 Apr. 2026
Cavalier spaniels, terriers, and basenjis are ideal breeds for small apartments.
—The Editors, Curbed, 16 Apr. 2026
The American Kennel Club, founded in 1884, currently recognizes 205 dog breeds.
—Christopher Edwards, PEOPLE, 16 Apr. 2026
Justice Delos Santos, Mercury News, 24 Apr. 2026
Conversely, a lack of transparency breeds distrust and erodes institutional legitimacy.
—Wayne Unger, The Conversation, 23 Apr. 2026
The organization breeds and trains the dogs, teaches blind individuals how to work with and care for them and supports ongoing research to improve the dogs’ health and training.
—Samantha Agate, Kansas City Star, 22 Apr. 2026
In March, a similar operation led to 27 people being arrested and over 20 dogs taken from the facility, which breeds the dogs to sell for scientific research.
—Quinn Clark, USA Today, 18 Apr. 2026
At best, that friction breeds not only generational ambiguity, but a sort of bidirectional bliss.
—Samuel Hyland, Pitchfork, 15 Apr. 2026
Guess what else breeds disrespect?
—Wendy Murphy, Boston Herald, 13 Apr. 2026
But Turkey now breeds the felines.
—Emily Feng, NPR, 1 Apr. 2026
Which, in theory, breeds simmering chaos.
—Fabian Ardaya, New York Times, 25 Mar. 2026
Noun
In total, 76 dogs and puppies of varying breeds, 15 cats and kittens and 2 Flemish rabbits were removed from the home and taken to the Pennsylvania SPCA for medical care.
—Alexandra Simon, CBS News, 26 Apr. 2026
What’s known as a mixed American minipig is instead a hybrid, a mix of breeds, that stands about knee-high or 20 inches tall at the shoulder.
—Eric Adler
april 26, Kansas City Star, 26 Apr. 2026
Dog breeds like pugs and French and English bulldogs now have significantly altered skull shapes that result in serious, and even life-threatening, issues created by our value of aesthetics.
—New Atlas, 24 Apr. 2026
The name Wagyu refers to a few breeds of Japanese cattle that typically have an exceptionally high fat content.
—Sam Stone, Bon Appetit Magazine, 24 Apr. 2026
The dogs’ breeds were not immediately known.
—David Goodhue
april 24, Miami Herald, 24 Apr. 2026
Renters may live in properties that restrict certain animals or breeds.
—Samantha Agate, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 23 Apr. 2026
Cavalier spaniels, terriers, and basenjis are ideal breeds for small apartments.
—The Editors, Curbed, 16 Apr. 2026
The American Kennel Club, founded in 1884, currently recognizes 205 dog breeds.
—Christopher Edwards, PEOPLE, 16 Apr. 2026
Verb
Baseball is a copycat league, and success breeds imitators.
—Justice Delos Santos, Mercury News, 24 Apr. 2026
Conversely, a lack of transparency breeds distrust and erodes institutional legitimacy.
—Wayne Unger, The Conversation, 23 Apr. 2026
The organization breeds and trains the dogs, teaches blind individuals how to work with and care for them and supports ongoing research to improve the dogs’ health and training.
—Samantha Agate, Kansas City Star, 22 Apr. 2026
In March, a similar operation led to 27 people being arrested and over 20 dogs taken from the facility, which breeds the dogs to sell for scientific research.
—Quinn Clark, USA Today, 18 Apr. 2026
At best, that friction breeds not only generational ambiguity, but a sort of bidirectional bliss.
—Samuel Hyland, Pitchfork, 15 Apr. 2026
Guess what else breeds disrespect?
—Wendy Murphy, Boston Herald, 13 Apr. 2026
But Turkey now breeds the felines.
—Emily Feng, NPR, 1 Apr. 2026
Which, in theory, breeds simmering chaos.
—Fabian Ardaya, New York Times, 25 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for breeds
Noun
-
The change dropped recommendations that all babies should be protected against hepatitis A, hepatitis B, RSV, dengue and two types of bacterial meningitis.—
Erika Edwards,
NBC news,
30 Apr. 2026
-
On the advisory side, Formation is looking to lend its expertise across multiple types of work—pre-transaction consulting, M&A execution, long-term portfolio strategy—primarily at the intersection of financial and sporting decisions.—
Eben Novy-Williams,
Sportico.com,
30 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The test consisted of a 7-MW grid simulator that replicates disturbances and voltage ride-through events, and a 20-MW load simulator that reproduces real-world demand dynamics such as those created by an AI data center.—
IEEE Spectrum,
IEEE Spectrum,
29 Apr. 2026
-
This includes the importance of gestures such as going to retrieve from the family casket a pin that reproduces the British and American flags together, as well as those that actually fly on the streets of Washington.—
Giorgia Olivieri,
Vanity Fair,
28 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Research shows that celebrating even small wins releases dopamine in the brains of team members, maintains motivation, and fosters a sense of achievement.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
29 Apr. 2026
-
Critical thinking fosters being curious about the world, and that is very helpful for motivation and engagement.—
Kara Alaimo,
CNN Money,
28 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The water pressure then causes the vehicle to rise and slide on a thin layer of water between the tires and the road, making the driver lose control.—
NC Weather Bot,
Charlotte Observer,
30 Apr. 2026
-
Onions emit a gas that causes potatoes to sprout.—
BestReviews,
Mercury News,
30 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
From this room, a couple of steps lead up to another small loft that sleeps one, though in this case Backcountry Tiny Homes has added a small sofa bed and storage.—
Adam Williams
April 23,
New Atlas,
23 Apr. 2026
-
The rooms The island sleeps ten (exclusive buyouts are very much an option), with three bedrooms in the main house and one in the two-story boat house by the jetty.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
23 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Bean plants themselves enhance soil nutrition, benefiting its partners in return.—
Kim Toscano,
Southern Living,
16 Apr. 2026
-
Fresh herb plants grace tables and cruisers munch on breads baked in mini clay pots.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
15 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
But as concerns over the health effects of excessive screen time have risen, so, too, has pushback in schools toward screens of all kinds.—
Allison Parshall,
Scientific American,
30 Apr. 2026
-
Forest also look set for safety, but have nasty fixtures left against Chelsea, Newcastle, Manchester United and Bournemouth, who are all chasing European qualification of various kinds.—
Mark Carey,
New York Times,
30 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
African blue basil propagates readily from 4-6 inch shoot tip cuttings.—
Joshua Siskin,
Oc Register,
24 Apr. 2026
-
Gravitational radiation propagates outward away from the source that generates it, and propagates through spacetime.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
3 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Breeds.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/breeds. Accessed 2 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
