seat
Americannoun
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seats
plural
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something designed to support a person in a sitting position, as a chair, bench, or pew; a place on or in which one sits.
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the part of a chair, sofa, or the like, on which one sits.
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the part of the body on which one sits; the buttocks.
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the part of the garment covering it.
the seat of one's pants.
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a manner of or posture used in sitting, as on a horse.
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something on which the base of an object rests.
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the base itself.
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a place in which something belongs, occurs, or is established; site; location.
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a place in which administrative power or the like is centered.
the seat of the government.
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a part of the body considered as the place in which an emotion or function is centered.
The heart is the seat of passion.
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the office or authority of a king, bishop, etc..
the episcopal seat.
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a space in which a spectator or patron may sit; accommodation for sitting, as in a theater or stadium.
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right of admittance to such a space, especially as indicated by a ticket.
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a right to sit as a member in a legislative or similar body.
to hold a seat in the senate.
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a right to the privileges of membership in a stock exchange or the like.
verb (used with object)
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seats,
present (3rd person singular)
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seated,
past participle, past
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seating
present participle
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to place on a seat or seats; cause to sit down.
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to usher to a seat or find a seat for.
to be seated in the front row.
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to have seats for; accommodate with seats.
a theater that seats 1200 people.
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to put a seat on or into (a chair, garment, etc.).
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to install in a position or office of authority, in a legislative body, etc.
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to fit (a valve) with a seat.
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to attach to or place firmly in or on something as a base.
Seat the telescope on the tripod.
verb (used without object)
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seats,
present (3rd person singular)
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seated,
past participle, past
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seating
present participle
idioms
noun
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a piece of furniture designed for sitting on, such as a chair or sofa
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the part of a chair, bench, etc, on which one sits
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a place to sit, esp one that requires a ticket
I have two seats for the film tonight
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the buttocks
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the part of a garment covering the buttocks
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the part or area serving as the base of an object
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the part or surface on which the base of an object rests
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the place or centre in which something is located
a seat of government
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a place of abode, esp a country mansion that is or was originally the chief residence of a family
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a membership or the right to membership in a legislative or similar body
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a parliamentary constituency
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membership in a stock exchange
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the manner in which a rider sits on a horse
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by instinct rather than knowledge or experience
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informal (of officials) in the office rather than on tour or on leave
the agricultural advisor will be on seat tomorrow
verb
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(tr) to bring to or place on a seat; cause to sit down
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(tr) to provide with seats
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(tr; often passive) to place or centre
the ministry is seated in the capital
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(tr) to set firmly in place
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(tr) to fix or install in a position of power
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(tr) to put a seat on or in (an item of furniture, garment, etc)
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(intr) (of garments) to sag in the area covering the buttocks
your thin skirt has seated badly
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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seaternoun
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misseatverb (used with object)
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seatlessadjective
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underseatedadjective
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well-seatedadjective
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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seatsimple
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seatssimple
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have seatedperfect
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has seatedperfect
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am seatingprogressive
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are seatingprogressive
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is seatingprogressive
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have been seatingperfect progressive
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has been seatingperfect progressive
Past
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seatedsimple
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had seatedperfect
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was seatingprogressive
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were seatingprogressive
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had been seatingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of seat
1150–1200; Middle English sete (noun) < Old Norse sæti
Explanation
Something you can sit on, especially if it's a bench, stool, sofa, or chair, is a seat. Most bicycles have one seat, while many motorcycles have two seats. If your teacher invites you to "Take a seat," he means "Find a chair and sit in it." There are seats in cars and airplanes, around tables, in restaurants, and in movie theaters. As a verb, seat means "help someone find a place to sit," the way an usher seats audience members at a concert. Some people also use seat to mean "bottom" or "buttocks," or the section of your pants that covers this body part.
Vocabulary lists containing seat
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Considering I physically jumped out of my seat at one point playing the demo when avoiding the Alien, it's safe to say Creative Assembly will once again be ratcheting up the tension with the sequel.
From BBC ● Aug. 29, 2026
Moscow's Luzhniki Stadium -- Russia's largest by seat capacity -- said it would "consider" hosting the concerts if asked, its CEO was quoted as saying by the Mash news outlet.
From Barron's ● Aug. 28, 2026
Graham entered politics just six weeks ago, when she was appointed to fill the Senate seat vacated by the sudden death of her brother, Lindsey Graham.
From Slate ● Aug. 26, 2026
Republican Gov. Jeff Landry laid out details at an event Tuesday in the parish seat of Abbeville.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 25, 2026
The closest overhead bins are filled with roller bags, so I contort myself to shove my backpack beneath the seat in front of mine.
From "Legendary Frybread Drive-In" by Cynthia Leitich Smith
“Our seats were supposed to decline. Instead, Agentforce sales, service and Slack all saw year-over-year growth,” Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff shared on the earnings call.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 30, 2026
"The seats started to float, the captain kept going, and the bow exploded," he said.
From Barron's ● Aug. 30, 2026
A GMC sport-utility vehicle’s moonroof fell onto seats where children ride.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 30, 2026
That was reflected in the crowd, with scores of empty seats around the arena as the main undercard began.
From BBC ● Aug. 29, 2026
I can feel the blush warming my face as we scurry back to our seats.
From "Code Name Kingfisher" by Liz Kessler
Then Curry, undulating ever so slightly, delivers his first lines in a cavernous register, seated someplace between a purr and a growl.
From Salon ● Aug. 26, 2026
“Failure to stay seated will result in removal from the park,” reads one sign located in the queue for the ride.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 19, 2026
A woman seated at the same table, believed to be the girl's mother, immediately stopped him.
From BBC ● Aug. 17, 2026
Quarterback Matthew Stafford was seated a row in front of veteran receiver Davante Adams, who once again had fallen just short of finally reaching the Super Bowl.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 9, 2026
I stay seated and watch the legionnaires march back over the bridge.
From "The Many Assassinations of Samir, the Seller of Dreams" by Daniel Nayeri
Food outlets in the North Terminal remain open, but for passenger seating only.
From BBC ● Aug. 28, 2026
Gaggles of British tourists with fur coats and spray tans jostled for seating, clutching their outerwear to their chests for space as they scouted for a table to open up.
From Slate ● Aug. 24, 2026
He said the new ballroom could provide safe and secure seating for 1,000 dinner guests.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 21, 2026
The airline plans to add more first-class rows and extra-legroom seating; rivals United and Delta have featured screens for years.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 19, 2026
I looked at the seating chart on the blackboard and went straight to my desk.
From "Red Scarf Girl: A Memoir of the Cultural Revolution" by Ji-li Jiang
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
