seedbed

seed·bed | \ ˈsēd-ˌbed

How to pronounce seedbed (audio)

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Definition of seedbed

1 : soil or a bed of soil prepared for planting seed

2 : a place or source of growth or development

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Examples of seedbed in a Sentence

a social and political environment that would later become a seedbed of the abolition movement that think tank has served as a seedbed for American conservatism since the Cold War era

Recent Examples on the Web California has been a seedbed of American political passions, to the Right and Left. — The Conversation, oregonlive, "Ursula LeGuin foresaw dystopia that is California on fire: The Conversation," 5 Nov. 2019 California has been a seedbed of American political passions, to the Right and Left. — Stephanie Lemenager, Quartz, "California is living America’s dystopian future," 5 Nov. 2019 For some 40 years, the [Singapore] government has made sure universities never become a seedbed for dissent and don’t normalize political contention. — Washington Post, "At Yale’s Singapore college, a canceled course on dissent prompts censorship claims," 27 Sep. 2019 Despite her limited education, Ms. Nie was among the party loyalists sent to watch over the university, regarded as a seedbed of unorthodox ideas. — Chris Buckley, BostonGlobe.com, "Nie Yuanzi, whose poster fanned Cultural Revolution, dies at 98," 4 Sep. 2019 The seedbed of Morrison’s genius germinated in the family stories that encircled young Chloe, her older sister and two younger brothers. — Karen R. Long, cleveland.com, "Lorain’s Toni Morrison captured African-American lives in luminous fiction that won over the world: Karen R. Long," 11 Aug. 2019 Outright greed is misconduct’s most common seedbed. — James M. Banner Jr., Time, "Corruption, Cover-Ups and the Shocking Presidential History to Remember as Robert Mueller Testifies," 22 July 2019 Palestinian primary and secondary schools are the region’s economic seedbed. — Bernard Avishai, The New Yorker, "Why Jared Kushner’s Bahrain Conference Won’t Do Much for the Palestinian Economy," 19 June 2019 The seedbed of Democratic politicians, built on the expansion of public expenditures and entitlements, wasn’t sprouting a crop needed to sustain ongoing programs. — WSJ, "Wisconsin Barricade Shows Real Revolution," 24 Aug. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'seedbed.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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“Seedbed.” The Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster Inc., https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/seedbed. Accessed 29 January 2020.

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