How do you use the word "hybrid" in a sentence?

Here are real-life examples of using "hybrid": Tom encouraged Mary to buy a hybrid car. I bought a hybrid.

Hybrid Meaning

/ˈhaɪ.bɹɪd/

Definition, CEFR level B2, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.

Definition

nounOffspring resulting from cross-breeding different entities, e.g. two different species or two purebred parent strains.

nounSomething of mixed origin or composition; often, a tool or technology that combines the benefits of formerly separate tools or technologies.

Sentence Examples

Tom encouraged Mary to buy a hybrid car.

I bought a hybrid.

Synonyms & Antonyms

Synonyms:

cross

Antonyms:

None

CEFR Practice Quiz

The ____ car uses both gasoline and electric power to improve fuel efficiency.

CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)

The new ____ car uses both a gasoline engine and an electric motor for better efficiency.

Word Origin & History

From Latin hybrida, a variant of hibrida (“a mongrel; specifically, an offspring of a tame sow and a wild boar”). Attested since 1601, but rare before c. 1850.

Literary Quotations & Historical Citations

"Lastly, the hybrids or mongrels from between all the domestic breeds of pigeons are perfectly fertile." — 1859 November 24, Charles Darwin, “Variation under Domestication”, in On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection, […], London: John Murray, […], →OCLC, page 26:

"Starting in the mid-1940s, the legendary Danish designer Hans Wegner created a series of chairs inspired by Ming Dynasty furnishings, their streamlined frames a hybrid of imperial Chinese forms and Scandinavian modernism." — 2026 May 26, Sam Cochran, “Feeling Zen”, in Architectural Digest, volume 83, number 4, page 100:

"Toyota Motor Corp. detailed plans to invest $912 million to increase output of hybrid components and vehicles across five states, part of a broader $10 billion commitment in the US over the next five years. Factories in West Virginia, Kentucky, Mississippi, Tennessee and Missouri will see 252 new jobs as a result of the initiative, the world’s biggest carmaker said in a statement. The move underscores Toyota’s bet that hybrids will dominate US sales in the near term as consumers balk at high EV prices following the end of tax credits. The investment may also strengthen the Japanese carmaker’s foothold in the market as Ford Motor Co., General Motors Co. and other US carmakers scale back EV ambitions and revisit hybrid strategies to meet shifting demand and emissions targets." — 2025 November 18, Reed Stevenson, “Toyota Lays Out $912 Million Plan to Boost US Hybrid Production”, in Bloomberg News:

"Now, it is difficult, perhaps impossible, to bring forward one case of the hybrid offspring of two animals clearly distinct being themselves perfectly fertile." — 1859 November 24, Charles Darwin, “Variation under Domestication”, in On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection, […], London: John Murray, […], →OCLC, page 26:

"Brooklyn has opted for hybrid SUVs, at least, to show environmental consciousness." — 2022, N. K. Jemisin, The World We Make, Orbit, page 270:

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