I. brood 1 /bruːd/ BrE AmE verb [intransitive]
1 . to keep thinking about something that you are worried or upset about:
Don’t sit at home brooding all day.
brood over/about/on
There’s no point brooding over it – she’s gone.
2 . if a bird broods, it sits on its eggs to make the young birds break out
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THESAURUS
■ to keep thinking about something
▪ brood to keep thinking for a long time about something that worries you or that makes you angry or upset:
There’s no point brooding over things you can’t change.
▪ dwell on something to spend too much time thinking about something sad or unpleasant:
I try to enjoy my life today and not dwell on the past.
II. brood 2 BrE AmE noun [countable]
[ Language: Old English ; Origin: brod ]
1 . a family of young birds all born at the same time
2 . a family with a lot of children – used humorously
brood of
Mary has a whole brood of grandchildren.