seed 1 of 2

noun

ˈsēd How to pronounce seed (audio)
Definition of seednext
1
as in root
the source from which something grows or develops ancient Greece provided the seed for much of Western civilization's political and philosophical thought

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance
2
as in offspring
the descendants of a person, animal, or plant the famous stallion's seed can be found on racetracks all over the world

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

seed

2 of 2

verb

as in to plant
to put or set into the ground to grow seeded grass in the backyard

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of seed
Noun
The long, lightweight seed pods catch the wind and disperse seeds all over your yard, your neighbors’, and in the little cracks between your sidewalk. — Karen Brewer Grossman, Southern Living, 2 July 2026 Owners Ted and Kris Grinter plan to plant the seeds next week, and the flowers will bloom in August and September. — Alexa Newsom, Kansas City Star, 2 July 2026
Verb
The point of the Top 10 lists, Chandrasekaran said, is to steer young adults to employers that are actively hiring recent graduates into jobs that can seed meaningful careers. — Daniel De Visé, USA Today, 29 June 2026 As one option, sources told Semafor that Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick has favored creating a sovereign wealth fund seeded by leading AI firms. — Ashley Belanger, ArsTechnica, 30 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for seed
Recent Examples of Synonyms for seed
  1. root
  2. offspring
  3. plant
  4. origin
  5. fruit
  6. germ
  7. beginning
Noun
  • The roots of the fall-out stretch back to 2019, before filming for the franchise’s fourth feature instalment began, when Margera signed a wellness agreement with the producers which committed him to sobriety amid his struggles with alcoholism.
    — Mattha Busby, Rolling Stone, 3 July 2026
  • Simply apply 1 to 2 inches of natural mulch, like bark mulch, over the roots of your plants to lock in soil moisture and keep the mulch line at least 1 inch away from the plant's stems.
    — Lauren Landers, Better Homes & Gardens, 3 July 2026
Definition of root
Noun
  • After several generations, those faster-growing cells produced more offspring and became increasingly common in the population, demonstrating a basic form of natural selection.
    — Greg Wehner, FOXNews.com, 3 July 2026
  • Instead, the system simply makes a bunch of copies to increase the probability that some of them will end up in each of the offspring.
    — ArsTechnica, ArsTechnica, 2 July 2026
Definition of offspring
Verb
  • Her suggestions include an IONNYK digital art frame, planting trees in a national park through the National Park Foundation or a custom travel trunk by Eva Joan Repair.
    — Merle Ginsberg, HollywoodReporter, 3 July 2026
  • This season, some farmers may opt to plant crops that require less nitrogen fertilizer than corn, such as soy beans, in response to rising costs.
    — Joe Hernandez, NPR, 3 July 2026
Definition of plant
Noun
  • The census ancestry and origin data are estimates based on a sample of the population and include margins of error that can be large for small population groups.
    — Albert Sun, New York Times, 2 July 2026
  • Understanding the origin of life requires addressing a collection of overlapping scientific questions.
    — ArsTechnica, ArsTechnica, 2 July 2026
Definition of origin
Noun
  • Experience apple picking and cider tastings in Julian or Oak Glen, both known for growing the fruit—and delicious pies.
    — Chelsee Lowe, Travel + Leisure, 1 July 2026
  • Mexican fruit flies are one of the world’s most destructive pests when laying their eggs, destroying or damaging fruit such as apples, grapefruits, avocados, peaches and pears, according to the California Department of Food and Agriculture.
    — Kori McNair, Los Angeles Times, 30 June 2026
Definition of fruit
Noun
  • Always wear gloves before handling nests to protect yourself from any germs or parasites.
    — Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 29 June 2026
  • The commonality suggests there must be some evolutionary reason and the mouse experiment hints at a little germ protection — but still not a reason to scratch.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 27 June 2026
Definition of germ
Noun
  • Prior to the trial beginning, the judge agreed that questions about Brown’s felony conviction for his 2009 assault on then-girlfriend Rihanna would be barred from testimony.
    — Chris Willman, Variety, 1 July 2026
  • June was a frenetic month for the metro Atlanta restaurant scene, driven in part by a flurry of downtown openings timed to the beginning of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
    — Olivia Wakim, AJC.com, 1 July 2026
Definition of beginning

Phrases Containing seed

Browse Nearby Words

see after
seed
seedbed
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Seed.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/seed. Accessed 8 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on seed

Nglish: Translation of seed for Spanish Speakers

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about seed

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!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of gambol

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Commonly Misspelled Words

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

One-Word Oxymorons: Bittersweet, Spendthrift, and More

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
hangman letters and game
Hangman Lightning Round Figure out which word fits in the blanks.
See All