English Reference
verb

reproduce

v.
US /ˌɹipɹəˈdus/ UK /ɹɪpɹədjˈuːs/ re·pro·duce UK spelling reproduced, reproduces

  1. 01 B2 Upper Intermediate Biology

    to produce babies or new young plants.

    to produce offspring or new organisms by a sexual or asexual process.

    Simple

    Most mammals reproduce by giving birth to live young rather than laying eggs.

    In context

    The virus requires a host cell to reproduce, hijacking the cellular machinery to create thousands of copies of its own genetic material.

    breedprocreatepropagate
  2. 02 B2 Upper Intermediate

    to make a copy of a picture, a sound, or a piece of writing.

    to produce a copy or representation of something, such as an image, sound, or document.

    Simple

    The colors in the book do not reproduce the original painting very well.

    In context

    Modern high-fidelity speakers are designed to reproduce the nuances of a live orchestral performance with remarkable accuracy.

  3. 03 C1 Advanced Academic Science

    to make something happen again in the same way.

    to cause something to happen again or to repeat a specific result, often in a scientific or experimental context.

    Simple

    Other scientists were unable to reproduce the results of the first experiment.

    In context

    The researchers struggled to reproduce the initial findings under controlled laboratory conditions, leading to questions about the original study's methodology.

Only one individual or a small number of individuals reproduce, while the others serve as workers.

ScienceDaily· 15 Aug 2026

The Stanford study raises an important question: Has AI learned general rules about how phage genomes work, or has it simply learned enough about one unusually small and well-understood phage to reproduce successfully?

Phys.org· 16 Aug 2026

From re- + produce.

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

This entry
Level C1 · Advanced
Frequency Frequent
Updated