Definition of 'sow'
COBUILD frequency band
sow verb uses
Word forms: 3rd person singular present tense sows , present participle sowing , past tense sowed , past participle sown
1. transitive verb
If you sow seeds or sow an area of land with seeds, you plant the seeds in the ground.
2. transitive verb
If someone sows an undesirable feeling or situation, they cause it to begin and develop.
Collins COBUILD Advanced Learner’s Dictionary. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers
American English pronunciation
!
It seems that your browser is blocking this video content.
To access it, add this site to the exceptions or modify your security settings, then refresh this page.
British English pronunciation
!
It seems that your browser is blocking this video content.
To access it, add this site to the exceptions or modify your security settings, then refresh this page.
You may also like
COBUILD frequency band
sow in American English 1
nounOrigin: ME sowe < OE sugu, akin to Ger sau (OHG su) < IE base *sū-, pig > swine, L sus
Webster’s New World College Dictionary, 5th Digital Edition. Copyright © 2025 HarperCollins Publishers.
COBUILD frequency band
sow in American English 2
verb transitiveWord forms: sowed, sown (soʊn ) or sowed, sowingOrigin: ME sowen < OE sawan, akin to Ger säen < IE base *sē(i) > seed
1.
to scatter or plant (seed) for growing
2.
to plant seed in or on (a field, ground, earth, etc.)
verb intransitive
5.
to sow seed for growing
Webster’s New World College Dictionary, 5th Digital Edition. Copyright © 2025 HarperCollins Publishers.
Derived forms
sower (ˈsower) noun
COBUILD frequency band
sow in American English 1
(sou) (verb sowed, sown or sowed, sowing)
transitive verb
SYNONYMS 4. inject, lodge, circulate.1.
to scatter (seed) over land, earth, etc., for growth; plant
2.
to plant seed for
to sow a crop
3.
to scatter seed over (land, earth, etc.) for the purpose of growth
4.
to sow distrust or dissension
Most material © 2005, 1997, 1991 by Penguin Random House LLC. Modified entries © 2019 by Penguin Random House LLC and HarperCollins Publishers Ltd
Derived forms
sowable adjective
sower
noun
Word origin
[bef. 900; ME sowen, OE sāwan; c. D zaaien, G säen, ON sā, Goth saian; akin to seed, L sēmen seed, serere to sow]COBUILD frequency band
sow in American English 2
(sau)
Most material © 2005, 1997, 1991 by Penguin Random House LLC. Modified entries © 2019 by Penguin Random House LLC and HarperCollins Publishers Ltd
Derived forms
sowlike adjective
Word origin
[bef. 900; ME sowe, OE sugu; c. G Sau, ON sȳr, L sūs, Gk hûs, Tocharian B suwo; see swine]COBUILD frequency band
sow in British English 1
verbWord forms: sows, sowing, sowed, sown or sowed
Collins English Dictionary. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers
Derived forms
sowable (ˈsowable) adjective
sower (ˈsower)
noun
Word origin
Old English sāwan; related to Old Norse sā, Old High German sāen, Old Slavonic seja, Latin serere to sow COBUILD frequency band
sow in British English 2
noun
Collins English Dictionary. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers
Word origin
Old English sugu; related to Old Norse sӯr, Old High German sū, Latin sūs, Norwegian sugga, Dutch zeug: see swineCOBUILD frequency band
SoW in British English
abbreviation for
statement of work
Collins English Dictionary. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers
Examples of 'sow' in a sentence sow
These examples have been automatically selected and may contain sensitive content that does not reflect the opinions or policies of Collins, or its parent company HarperCollins.
We welcome feedback: report an example sentence to the Collins team. Read more…
Trends of
sow
View usage over:
Source: Google Books Ngram Viewer
