sow

1 of 2

noun

1
: an adult female swine
also : the adult female of various other animals (such as a bear)
2
a
: a channel that conducts molten metal to molds
b
: a mass of metal solidified in such a mold : ingot

sow

2 of 2

verb

sowed; sown ˈsōn How to pronounce sow (audio) or sowed; sowing

intransitive verb

1
: to plant seed for growth especially by scattering
2
: to set something in motion : begin an enterprise

transitive verb

1
a
: 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

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 young boar fled alone while the sow ran in circles, crashing through the woods, trying to evade this new boar. Bjorn Dihle, Outdoor Life, 21 Sep. 2023 The researchers next transferred 1,820 pig embryos with human cells into sow surrogates. Will Sullivan, Smithsonian Magazine, 11 Sep. 2023 Fish and Game killed the sow on Tuesday, according to Dave Battle, an Anchorage area wildlife biologist with the agency. Tess Williams, Anchorage Daily News, 9 Sep. 2023 Pigs played in the muck; sows rested in shaded bedding. Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 6 Sep. 2023 Heisel realized the sow was caught in a trap set up nearby. Tess Williams, Anchorage Daily News, 9 Sep. 2023 Under the rule, pigs must be born to sows housed in spaces that provide at least 24 square feet per sow. Julie Creswell, New York Times, 5 Sep. 2023 The cub’s sibling had severe injuries from the fire and was put down, the conservation office said, while the sow is believed to have died in the fire. Nouran Salahieh, CNN, 2 Sep. 2023 But Proposition 12, passed by nearly 63 percent of Californians in 2018, went beyond that parameter, banning the sale of products derived from sows that are not allowed at least 24 square feet of space — regardless of where the sows are raised. Robert Barnes, Washington Post, 11 May 2023
Verb
Plant –Directly sow native wildflower and meadow grass seeds before the arrival of rain. Kristin Guy, Sunset Magazine, 18 Sep. 2023 For instance, Boric is accused, as Allende was, of dividing the country and sowing hatred. Sam Needleman, The New York Review of Books, 2 Sep. 2023 Korine has sowed the seeds for an epic boss battle between Bo and this terrifying creature, which seems more beast than man. Peter Debruge, Variety, 2 Sep. 2023 Twelve years later, Syria is divided into fragmented spheres of influence and in the throes of economic collapse — which has sown widespread misery superseding even that of the ongoing flare-ups of violence. Sarah Dadouch, Washington Post, 25 Aug. 2023 But living abroad in countries that were rich in natural beauty but otherwise poor also helped sow the seeds of Smith’s ultimate underlying mission for the gear maker. Michal Lev-Ram, Fortune, 22 Aug. 2023 The company’s first forest was planted on a dumping ground alongside the Beirut River in Lebanon; others were sown later near a power plant in the country’s most polluted city and in several playgrounds badly damaged by the 2020 blast at Beirut’s port. Cara Buckley, BostonGlobe.com, 26 Aug. 2023 These annuals are all easy to grow from seed and can be sown directly in the garden. Arricca Elin Sansone, ELLE Decor, 22 Aug. 2023 For a fall crop, sow in midsummer in the Upper and Middle South and in August or September in the Lower South. Zoe Denenberg, Southern Living, 21 Aug. 2023 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'sow.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English sowe, from Old English sugu; akin to Old English & Old High German sow, Latin sus pig, swine, hog, Greek hys

Verb

Middle English, from Old English sāwan; akin to Old High German sāwen to sow, Latin serere, Lithuanian sėti

First Known Use

Noun

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of sow was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near sow

Cite this Entry

“Sow.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sow. Accessed 29 Sep. 2023.

Kids Definition

sow

1 of 2 noun
: an adult female hog
also : the adult female of various other animals (as a bear)

sow

2 of 2 verb
sowed; sown ˈsōn How to pronounce sow (audio) or sowed; sowing
1
a
: to plant seed for growth especially by scattering
c
: to scatter with or as if with seed
d
: to put into a selected environment : distribute
2
: to set in motion : foment
sowing the seeds of suspicion
3
: to spread over a wide area : disperse, disseminate
sower noun

More from Merriam-Webster on sow

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!