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

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 That dish, called fett sow fries ($16), is served with an addictive peach chutney at Central, which occupies a rustic 1890s warehouse with exposed brick walls and a bustling open kitchen. — New York Times, "36 Hours in Montgomery, Ala.," 3 May 2018 Warmer temperatures prompt rapid growth, making it an excellent time to transplant seedlings as well as sow seeds. — Debbie Arrington, sacbee, "Want summer veggies? Get to work | The Sacramento Bee," 5 May 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

Even his location serves to underscore the disaster that someone with Lift’s power and priorities can sow, largely with impunity (and often with praise even as these violations are discovered). — Hannah Giorgis, The Atlantic, "Sorry to Bother You Has an Eerily Familiar Villain," 10 July 2018 Instead, the seeds were sown for the McMenamins beer and lifestyle empire, a network of over 50 pubs, theaters, resorts, and hotels in Oregon and Washington that can aptly be described as Disneyland for drinkers. — Mike Seely, latimes.com, "A Washington state town had become listless. Then a bar came to town and everything began to change," 9 July 2018 In addition, Russian operatives used bogus accounts in an effort to sow discord and shape voter opinion during the campaign. — Bloomberg.com, "Zuckerberg Survives Unruffled After Two Days Before Congress," 13 Apr. 2018 There’s plenty of time to sow seeds directly in a garden or in pots and still enjoy a harvest this season. — Jo Ellen Meyers Sharp, Indianapolis Star, "The Hoosier Gardener: Sow seeds now for late-summer edibles," 8 July 2018 The idea is not only to feed expanding world markets for these products, but to sow the seeds of a diversified Saudi economy. — Stanley Reed, New York Times, "An Oil Giant Is Taking Big Steps. Saudi Arabia Can’t Afford for It to Slip.," 16 June 2018 The teams involved in e-sports are working hard to sow the seeds for a loyalty that transcends the individual game, and this sheen of hype is instrumental to that effort. — Vlad Savov, The Verge, "Going to an e-sport event is like traveling back to the time when people followed sports for the sport," 30 May 2018 According to polling and interviews cited by The Associated Press at the beginning of this year, the tactic appears to be sowing seeds of doubt, as intended. — CBS News, "Lesley Stahl: Trump admitted mission to "discredit" press," 23 May 2018 No one is quite sure when the tree was planted, but Chapman walked the land and sowed his seeds until his death in Fort Wayne Indiana in 1845. — Michael Sangiacomo, cleveland.com, "Ohio Tiny Towns: Last living Johnny Appleseed tree is pride of Savannah (photos)," 6 May 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.