sowed

past tense of sow
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

Relevance
2
as in planted
to put or set into the ground to grow first sow the seeds in potting soil

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

3

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 sowed 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
  • That's despite calls from agency staff for Kennedy to tone down such rhetoric after a gunman—who was influenced by vaccine misinformation and the vilification of the public health agency—sprayed the CDC campus with over 500 rounds and killed a local police officer last month.
    Beth Mole, ArsTechnica, 4 Sep. 2025
  • Ferreira sprayed the ball wide to Alex Roldan, Cristian’s younger brother.
    Henry Bushnell, New York Times, 1 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • That tree, which was planted back in 1832, becomes the connective tissue literally, biologically and possibly metaphysically, between Tony and two scientists who preceded him at the same institution.
    Jordan Mintzer, HollywoodReporter, 6 Sep. 2025
  • The nursery has cleared water-thirsty plants and planted 100,000 indigenous trees since 2012.
    Heather Richardson, Travel + Leisure, 6 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • 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
  • 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
  • This article is specific to DraftKings with a little bit of FanDuel sprinkled in.
    Gladys Louise Tyler, Forbes.com, 6 Sep. 2025
  • Bone meal sprinkled around the plant and watered into the soil is a good source of phosphorus.
    Mary Marlowe Leverette, Southern Living, 5 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • The round of 16 and beyond is seeded, meaning the teams who finish first and second in the league phase cannot meet until the final.
    Jack Bantock, New York Times, 27 Aug. 2025
  • After beginning the year ranked 333rd in the world, Mboko has surged to 24th and arrives in New York City as a potential dark horse for the US Open, where she is seeded (22nd) in the main draw of a major for the first time.
    Max Gao, Vogue, 25 Aug. 2025
Verb
  • 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
  • The large lobby-level bar is dotted with couches and an open fireplace.
    Heather Richardson, Travel + Leisure, 6 Sep. 2025

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Sowed.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sowed. Accessed 11 Sep. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on sowed

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!