plural seeds
1
: a small object produced by a plant from which a new plant can grow
a packet of sunflower seeds
He planted/sowed the seeds three inches apart.
(US) apple/orange seeds [=(Brit) pips]
She raked the grass seed into the soil.
She grows her plants from seed. [=by planting seeds rather than by some other method]
2
: the beginning of something which continues to develop or grow
Her comment planted/sowed a seed of doubt in his mind. [=caused him to begin to have doubts]
The government's policies planted/sowed the seeds of war/destruction. [=created a situation that led to war/destruction]
3
: a player or team that is ranked as one of the best in a competition (such as a tennis tournament) in order to be sure that the best players or teams do not play against each other in the early part of the competition
The top seed won the tournament.
Our team is the number one seed.
She is ranked as the third seed.
4
a
literary
: all the children, grandchildren, etc., of a particular man
the seed of Abraham
b
old-fashioned + humorous
: a man's semen
a man spreading his seed [=fathering many children]
seeds; seeded; seeding
1
: to plant (an area of ground) with seeds
We seeded the field with corn.
a newly seeded lawn
2
of a plant
: to produce seeds
These plants will seed late in the fall.
3
: to remove (seeds) from a fruit or vegetable
After you wash and seed the peppers you can chop them.
4
: to give (a player or team) a particular rank which shows how likely that person or team is to win a competition (such as a tennis tournament)
—usually used as (be) seeded
The team/player was seeded first/last in the tournament.
the top-seeded player
always used before a noun
: used for producing a new crop of plants
seed corn/potatoes
Cite this Entry
“Seed.” Merriam-Webster.com Simple Definition, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/simple/seed. Accessed 24 Jun. 2026.
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