inbreed

[ in-breed, in-breed ]

verb (used with object)

, in·bred, in·breed·ing.

1. to breed (individuals of a closely related group) repeatedly.
2. to breed within; engender.

verb (used without object)

, in·bred, in·breed·ing.

1. to engage in or undergo inbreeding.

inbreed

/ ˈɪnˈbriːd /

verb

1. to breed from unions between closely related individuals, esp over several generations
2. tr to develop within; engender

Derived Forms

• ˈinˈbreeding, nounadjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of inbreed¹

First recorded in 1590–1600; in- ¹ + breed

Example Sentences

Where the big cats are isolated, they inbreed—or don't breed at all—and concentrate genetic mutations that further threaten their future.

From Scientific American

The next step is to inbreed those weaklings by self-fertilizing them, generation after generation.

From Science Magazine

Isolating bears on either side of the wall, aside from the disruption to their foraging, could expose them to genetic weaknesses as the two separated bands began to inbreed.

From Los Angeles Times

That ability to inbreed was documented in the 1960s and got blown up into the scenario that landed in textbooks for years, Haufler said.

From Washington Times

His current show presents the newest twists in a line of work initiated nearly 40 years ago that conceived of painting as a meticulously built surface where all manner of visual culture collide and collude; various artistic processes inbreed; and the tension between extreme self-consciousness and stream of consciousness is acute.

From New York Times