Illustration of seedling
- 1 primary root
- 2 rootlet
- 3 root hairs
- 4 hypocotyl
- 5 cotyledon
- 6 young stem
- 7 true leaf
1
: a young plant grown from seed
2
a
: a young tree before it becomes a sapling
b
: a nursery plant not yet transplanted
seedling
adjective
Examples of seedling in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
As seedlings emerge, reduce the frequency of watering and practice deeper irrigation.
—
Kim Toscano, Southern Living, 12 June 2025
It was introduced by Star Roses and Plants, a wholesale plant nursery in West Grove, Pa., then bred by the House of Meilland in France, which sent the seedlings to New Jersey to a nursery where the Holiday Collective nurtured them for Blooms.
—David Moin, Footwear News, 22 May 2025
To grow from a seedling to a hardy plant, the veg room lights are turned on for 18 hours a day to mimic midsummer lighting.
—Eleanor Nash, Kansas City Star, 22 May 2025
The new rose was grown from one of 60,000 seedlings originally planted 12 years ago and developed by a team of 20 people.
—Lee Sharrock, Forbes.com, 20 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for seedling
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Kim Toscano, Southern Living, 12 June 2025
It was introduced by Star Roses and Plants, a wholesale plant nursery in West Grove, Pa., then bred by the House of Meilland in France, which sent the seedlings to New Jersey to a nursery where the Holiday Collective nurtured them for Blooms.
—David Moin, Footwear News, 22 May 2025
To grow from a seedling to a hardy plant, the veg room lights are turned on for 18 hours a day to mimic midsummer lighting.
—Eleanor Nash, Kansas City Star, 22 May 2025
The new rose was grown from one of 60,000 seedlings originally planted 12 years ago and developed by a team of 20 people.
—Lee Sharrock, Forbes.com, 20 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for seedling
Cite this Entry
“Seedling.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/seedling. Accessed 1 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
seedling
noun
seed·ling
ˈsēd-liŋ 
1
: a young plant grown from seed
2
: a tree before it becomes a sapling
seedling
adjective
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share