- (v.i.) To sit on and cover eggs, as a fowl, for the purpose of warming them and hatching the young; or to sit over and cover young, as a hen her chickens, in order to warm and protect them; hence, to sit quietly, as if brooding.
- (v.t.) To think anxiously or moodily upon.
- (v.t.) The young from the same dam, whether produced at the same time or not; young children of the same mother, especially if nearly of the same age; offspring; progeny; as, a woman with a brood of children.
- (v.t.) That which is bred or produced; breed; species.
- (v.i.) To have the mind dwell continuously or moodily on a subject; to think long and anxiously; to be in a state of gloomy, serious thought; -- usually followed by over or on; as, to brood over misfortunes.
- (a.) Sitting or inclined to sit on eggs.
- (v.t.) The young birds hatched at one time; a hatch; as, a brood of chickens.
- (v.t.) To sit over, cover, and cherish; as, a hen broods her chickens.
- (a.) Kept for breeding from; as, a brood mare; brood stock; having young; as, a brood sow.
- (v.t.) To cherish with care.
- (v.t.) Heavy waste in tin and copper ores.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary
| APA | Webster's. (2011). brood. Retrieved September 23, 2026, from http://smartdefine.org/brood/definitions/1982723 |
| Chicago | Webster's. 2011. "brood" http://smartdefine.org/brood/definitions/1982723 (accessed September 23, 2026). |
| Harvard | Webster's 2011, brood, Smart Define, viewed 23 September, 2026, <http://smartdefine.org/brood/definitions/1982723>. |
| MLA | Webster's. "brood" 27 May 2011. Web. 23 September 2026. <http://smartdefine.org/brood/definitions/1982723> |