breed
Base form
breed
/briːd/
Past simple
bred
/bred/
Past participle
bred
/bred/
MeaningC1
to keep animals so that they produce young
familiarity breeds contempt
In use
- Negative · Form 1Pandas don’t breed easily in zoos.
- Question · Form 1Do rabbits really breed that fast?
- Past simple · Form 2In the 1800s her family bred horses on this farm.
- Past simple · Form 2As a boy, Grandad bred pigeons in the back garden.
- Passive · Form 3These sheep are bred for their soft wool.
- Present perfect · Form 3The zoo has bred three baby tigers this year.
Watch out
Bred has one e, like fed from feed: breeded is wrong, and bread is what you eat.
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