1
as in sprayed
to cover by or as if by scattering something over or on
sow the fields with maize in early spring, and the crop should be ready by late summer
Synonyms & Similar Words
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2
3
as in bred
to set permanently in the consciousness or mind-set
a malicious neighbor who sowed within him nagging suspicions about his wife
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of sowed
Mami Wata was invoked in Black communities by rituals that ensured safety, provided healing, and sowed self-worth.
—
Time, 8 Sep. 2025
That triggered alarm bells for some medical associations, which issued contradictory recommendations, and also sowed confusion among pharmacists and other medical providers about the fall vaccine rollout and insurance coverage for COVID-19 vaccines.
—Kristen Jordan Shamus, Freep.com, 3 Sep. 2025
Unabomber Ted Kaczynski sowed fear for nearly two decades until his brother recognized some of his anonymous writings and alerted authorities.
—Carrie Johnson, NPR, 2 Jan. 2025
Iran’s revolutionary project for the Middle East sowed misery and won’t be missed.
—Arash Azizi, The Atlantic, 17 Dec. 2024
Hoover’s bureau sowed disinformation among Black progressive groups, tapped King’s phone and attempted to extort him with allegations of adultery.
—Clarence Page, Chicago Tribune, 15 Dec. 2024
In addition to clarifying that New York’s ban applied to all non-cloth bags containing plastic, Judge Connolly also ordered the state to cover plaintiffs’ court costs on account of the confusion sowed by regulators’ incorrect instructions.
—Patrick Gleason, Forbes, 11 Oct. 2024
These Hezbollah rockets drove over 60,000 Israelis from their homes in northern towns and villages and sowed the seeds for the current conflict in Lebanon and attacks between Israel and Hezbollah patron Iran, which threaten to overshadow the Israel-Hamas war itself.
—Taylor Luck, The Christian Science Monitor, 7 Oct. 2024
The results suggest that catastrophe sowed the ground for new relationships to emerge among surviving species.
—Riley Black, Smithsonian Magazine, 3 Oct. 2024
Time, 8 Sep. 2025
That triggered alarm bells for some medical associations, which issued contradictory recommendations, and also sowed confusion among pharmacists and other medical providers about the fall vaccine rollout and insurance coverage for COVID-19 vaccines.
—Kristen Jordan Shamus, Freep.com, 3 Sep. 2025
Unabomber Ted Kaczynski sowed fear for nearly two decades until his brother recognized some of his anonymous writings and alerted authorities.
—Carrie Johnson, NPR, 2 Jan. 2025
Iran’s revolutionary project for the Middle East sowed misery and won’t be missed.
—Arash Azizi, The Atlantic, 17 Dec. 2024
Hoover’s bureau sowed disinformation among Black progressive groups, tapped King’s phone and attempted to extort him with allegations of adultery.
—Clarence Page, Chicago Tribune, 15 Dec. 2024
In addition to clarifying that New York’s ban applied to all non-cloth bags containing plastic, Judge Connolly also ordered the state to cover plaintiffs’ court costs on account of the confusion sowed by regulators’ incorrect instructions.
—Patrick Gleason, Forbes, 11 Oct. 2024
These Hezbollah rockets drove over 60,000 Israelis from their homes in northern towns and villages and sowed the seeds for the current conflict in Lebanon and attacks between Israel and Hezbollah patron Iran, which threaten to overshadow the Israel-Hamas war itself.
—Taylor Luck, The Christian Science Monitor, 7 Oct. 2024
The results suggest that catastrophe sowed the ground for new relationships to emerge among surviving species.
—Riley Black, Smithsonian Magazine, 3 Oct. 2024
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sowed
Verb
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Kris, 69, then appeared in the video, pretending to scream as her grandchildren sprayed her with even more Silly String.—
Charlotte Phillipp,
People.com,
14 Sep. 2025
-
How To Disinfect Door Handles Use disinfecting wipes or a disinfecting cleaner sprayed onto a microfiber cloth rather than spraying directly onto the hardware.—
Karen Brewer Grossman,
Southern Living,
13 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Although some people may see leaves changing color before late October, this often happens because the plants are landscape trees, or trees that grew after seeds from other areas were planted, said Seiler.—
Saleen Martin,
USA Today,
14 Sep. 2025
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Since this aphid attracts a wide variety of beneficial insects that prey on it and pecan pests, crape myrtles have been planted in pecan orchards with a positive impact on pecan harvests.—
Joshua Siskin,
Oc Register,
13 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Labradors are often more energetic and bred for hunting, retrieving, and service work, whereas goldens are prized for their patience, friendliness, and trainability.—
Lydia Patrick,
MSNBC Newsweek,
9 Sep. 2025
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That is to say, more chickens are bred and butchered each year than there are alive at this very moment in time.—
Scott Travers,
Forbes.com,
7 Sep. 2025
Verb
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To see those brown eyes, long brown hair, and those freckles sprinkled across her nose.—
Manuel Muñoz,
Literary Hub,
11 Sep. 2025
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The clinical nature of the autopsy report is stark against the remnants of Pauline’s humanity, sprinkled throughout the 11 pages.—
Kirsten Fiscus,
The Tennessean,
9 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
That reframes how early magnetism seeded galaxies and plasma behavior on the largest scales.—
Kaif Shaikh,
Interesting Engineering,
11 Sep. 2025
-
Use the spreader again to apply fertilizer to the areas that were seeded.—
Karen Brewer Grossman,
Southern Living,
8 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Pine trees are dotted around the landscape stretching right down to ground level where ice floes seem to float on the water just outside touching distance.—
Caroline Reid,
Forbes.com,
8 Sep. 2025
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The large lobby-level bar is dotted with couches and an open fireplace.—
Heather Richardson,
Travel + Leisure,
6 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Sowed.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sowed. Accessed 15 Sep. 2025.
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