[Elamur Dictionary](https://md.dictionary.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://dictionary.elamur.ai/free/en/english/interbreed/)

[dictionaries](https://md.dictionary.elamur.ai/free/en/) / [English](https://md.dictionary.elamur.ai/free/en/english/) / [I](https://md.dictionary.elamur.ai/free/en/english/i/) / interbreed

# interbreed

verb (interbreed, interbreeds, interbred, interbreeding)

«interbreed» in the English dictionary: everyday — its meanings, how the lessons use it, and examples, each with its tree on Mova.

## Everyday

To interbreed means for animals or plants of different kinds, breeds or groups to mate and have young together. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/I/interbreed/#m1)

### In the lessons

In science lessons, members of the same species can interbreed and have fertile young; that is one way scientists define a species. Different species usually cannot, or their young are infertile, like a mule from a horse and a donkey. Scientists found that early modern humans and Neanderthals interbred, so many people today carry a little Neanderthal DNA.

### Examples

- Lions and tigers can interbreed in zoos, but not in the wild. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/I/interbreed/#x1)
- Horses and donkeys interbreed to produce mules. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/I/interbreed/#x2)
- Wolves and dogs can interbreed. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/I/interbreed/#x3)
- Neanderthals and modern humans interbred long ago. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/I/interbreed/#x4)
- Farmers interbred cattle to get better milk. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/I/interbreed/#x5)
- Two species that cannot interbreed are kept apart by nature. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/I/interbreed/#x6)

### Note

Irregular past: interbred (not «interbreeded»). «Inter-» means between. Noun: interbreeding.

## On Mova

- [Trees and pragmatics of «interbreed» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/I/interbreed/): every meaning and example parsed by Mova, with its dependency tree and frames.
- [«interbreed» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/w/interbreed.html) on Mova free.