sow

noun

\ˈsau̇

Definition of sow

(Entry 1 of 2)

1 : an adult female swine also : the adult female of various other animals (such as a bear)

2a : a channel that conducts molten metal to molds

b : a mass of metal solidified in such a mold : ingot

sow

verb

\ˈsō

sowed; sown\ ˈsōn

\ or sowed; sowing

Definition of sow (Entry 2 of 2)

intransitive verb

1 : to plant seed for growth especially by scattering

2 : to set something in motion : begin an enterprise

transitive verb

1a : to scatter (seed) upon the earth for growth broadly : plant sense 1a

b : to strew with or as if with seed

c : to introduce into a selected environment : implant

2 : to set in motion : foment sow suspicion

3 : to spread abroad : disperse

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Examples of sow in a Sentence

Verb

Every year we sow corn. Farmers sowed the fields with corn. We'll sow in the early spring.

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

Peter confiscates her scrunchie, but his ex-girlfriend Gen steals it at the same party to mess with his mind and sow seeds of discord with Lara Jean, her ex-best friend. — Ella Cerón, Teen Vogue, "Best Scrunchies to Channel Lara Jean Covey from "To All the Boys I've Loved Before"," 21 Aug. 2018 If sowing seeds directly, sow 4 seeds per inch in rows 6-8 inches apart. — Hilary Dahl, Good Housekeeping, "4 Essential Tips For Planning Your Fall Garden—And 5 Veggies You Can Still Plant In August," 3 Aug. 2017 The sow had been killed the day before, but neither the skull nor hide were salvaged. — Laurel Andrews, Anchorage Daily News, "Brown bear cub rescued after sow illegally killed near Nome," 10 May 2018 In mid-August set out broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower and Brussels sprouts transplants, and in late August sow beets, carrots, radishes, spinach, lettuce and other leaf and root crops. — Neil Sperry, star-telegram, "Here’s your gardening to-do list for the second part of the summer," 11 July 2018 Refresh the bait every day or every few days, using the remote-sensing camera to reveal if feral hogs are using the trap/pen and if it's being visited by solitary boars or multi-pig sounders of adult sows with their offspring. — Shannon Tompkins, Houston Chronicle, "Late winter gives Texas hunters best shot at feral hogs," 24 Jan. 2018 DeSpain says a man and woman on a rafting trip stopped to camp and encountered a grizzly sow and at least one cub. — Becky Bohrer, The Seattle Times, "Grizzly bear mauls man on Copper River rafting trip," 26 June 2018 Direct sow or seed Direct-sow bean or squash seed April through June. — Pam Peirce, SFChronicle.com, "How Bay Area gardeners can grow their own soup," 1 June 2018 Fish and Game believes the cubs belonged to the brown bear sow that wildlife biologists killed earlier this month. — Tegan Hanlon, Anchorage Daily News, "Two trash-seeking brown bear cubs killed by Fish and Game in the Eagle River area," 31 May 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

The first season of the show told a full story arc while also sowing plot seeds to blossom at a later occasion (i.e. in season 2). — Jessica Macleish, Teen Vogue, ""Chilling Adventures of Sabrina" Season 2: Questions We Need to Be Answered After That Finale," 26 Oct. 2018 Among those who used his services were Russian nationals who posted divisive social-media messages, invented fake personas and staged rallies with the strategic goal of sowing discord in American politics in 2016, prosecutors say. — Aruna Viswanatha, WSJ, "Mueller Target Gets Six Months in Prison for Selling Bank Data to Russians," 10 Oct. 2018 Where spring warms up early, wait until the last frost has passed before directly sowing zinnia seeds outside. — The Editors, Good Housekeeping, "How to Grow Bright, Beautiful Zinnias," 13 Aug. 2018 Here the class practices preparing trays with proper drainage, and scatter-sowing Thai basil seeds before moving on to pea shoots, lemon verbena seedlings, and ice lettuce, which looks like a succulent covered in frost. — Jo Rodgers, Vogue, "Getting Back to Nature (With a Bit of Champagne) at Raymond Blanc’s Luxe English Gardening School," 6 Aug. 2018 The Assad regime is trying to undermine faith in those U.S.-backed forces by sowing discord between them and local residents who are returning to places like Raqqa, the U.S. officials said. — Nancy A. Youssef, WSJ, "ISIS Remnants Fight On, Despite U.S. Campaign," 9 July 2018 The policy sowed confusion and anger not only in the border region, but in Washington. — Colleen Long, The Seattle Times, "Separations at the border didn’t worry some Trump officials," 2 July 2018 The same is true for Newsfeed at Facebook, the very product that Russia used to sow discord during the election. — Emily Dreyfuss, WIRED, "Trump Stokes Outrage in Silicon Valley—But It's Selective," 20 June 2018 Make growing your next crop easy by sowing one seed to a small pot or each section of a cell pack. — Tom Maccubbin, OrlandoSentinel.com, "Caterpillar invasion isn't end for healthy tree," 14 July 2018

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