breeding ground

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breeding ground

1. A place where animals breed.

2. A place or set of circumstances that encourages the development of certain ideas or conditions: a laboratory that is a breeding ground for new inventions.

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

breed′ing ground`

1. a place where animals breed or to which they return to breed.

2. an environment suitable for or fostering the development of something.

[1930–35]

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

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Noun

breeding ground - a place where animals breed

pesthole - a breeding ground for epidemic disease

rookery - a breeding ground for gregarious birds (such as rooks)

parcel of land, piece of ground, piece of land, tract, parcel - an extended area of land

Translations

breeding ground

n (of animal) → zona di riproduzione (fig) → terreno fertile (fig)

Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995

References in periodicals archive ?

"The increased heating in our homes during winter creates an ideal breeding ground for dust mites," said Julie.

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Leftover materials will be used to construct a drystone wall which it is hoped will become a breeding ground for the rare grizzled skipper butterfly.

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A EXERCISE actually increases the body's ability to fight infection but unfortunately gyms are a breeding ground for viruses.

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From photos of handsome Frank Woodhull, a middle-aged transgender man detained and released in 1908, to Liberty as a racially contested hot butch, to genealogical celebrations of "breeder ties," Rand explores Ellis Island's history as a breeding ground for American sexual and racial fantasy.

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Porous materials such as carpet or upholstered furniture provide a breeding ground for microbes when the humidity is high.

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Something as common as a central air-conditioner can become a breeding ground for mold, mildew, and other contaminants, the U.S.

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Birds which use Tyneside cliffs as a breeding ground have had their homes safeguarded.

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The widening gap between rich and poor, the plight of refugees, the injustices, humiliation and desperation suffered by millions combine to create a breeding ground for bitterness and revenge.

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It was a breeding ground for the early stages of Glassjaw.

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E-mail is the preferred method of communication, especially for the exchange of documents and files, making it a virtual breeding ground for viruses.

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Yet this prosperous and Edenic scene was the breeding ground for a radical '60s counterculture that indelibly stamped America.

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"Do not forget Rome Opera Ballet School, now directed by Paola Iorio, is a wonderful breeding ground for artists.