seat

[ seet ]

/ sit /

noun

something designed to support a person in a sitting position, as a chair, bench, or pew; a place on or in which one sits.

the part of a chair, sofa, or the like, on which one sits.

the part of the body on which one sits; the buttocks.

the part of the garment covering it: the seat of one's pants.

a manner of or posture used in sitting, as on a horse.

something on which the base of an object rests.

the base itself.

a place in which something belongs, occurs, or is established; site; location.

a place in which administrative power or the like is centered: the seat of the government.

a part of the body considered as the place in which an emotion or function is centered: The heart is the seat of passion.

the office or authority of a king, bishop, etc.: the episcopal seat.

a space in which a spectator or patron may sit; accommodation for sitting, as in a theater or stadium.

right of admittance to such a space, especially as indicated by a ticket.

a right to sit as a member in a legislative or similar body: to hold a seat in the senate.

a right to the privileges of membership in a stock exchange or the like.

verb (used with object)

to place on a seat or seats; cause to sit down.

to usher to a seat or find a seat for: to be seated in the front row.

to have seats for; accommodate with seats: a theater that seats 1200 people.

to put a seat on or into (a chair, garment, etc.).

to install in a position or office of authority, in a legislative body, etc.

to fit (a valve) with a seat.

to attach to or place firmly in or on something as a base: Seat the telescope on the tripod.

verb (used without object)

(of a cap, valve, etc.) to be closed or in proper position: Be sure that the cap of the dipstick seats.

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Idioms for seat

by the seat of one's pants, using experience, instinct, or guesswork.

Origin of seat

1150–1200; Middle English sete (noun) <Old Norse sæti

SYNONYMS FOR seat

1 throne, stool.

3 bottom, fundament.

SEE SYNONYMS FOR seat ON THESAURUS.COM

OTHER WORDS FROM seat

seater, nounseatless, adjectivemis·seat, verb (used with object)un·der·seat·ed, adjective

well-seated, adjective

Words nearby seat

sea star, sea steps, sea stores, seastrand, sea swallow, seat, sea tangle, seatback, seat belt, seater, seating

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Example sentences from the Web for seat

If Biden wins the election, the Democratic Party will almost certainly gain seats in the US Senate.
America needs a democratic revolution|Matthew Yglesias|September 17, 2020|Vox
Right now, people think like, “All right, I go past this place and all these seats are outside and people are hanging out.”
Tom Colicchio Hopes (and Fears) COVID-19 Will Change the Restaurant Industry|Pallabi Munsi|September 16, 2020|Ozy
We use each seat’s predicted probabilities to run simulations of the 2018 congressional elections.
The Forecast: The Methodology Behind Our 2020 Election Model|Daniel Malloy|September 10, 2020|Ozy
By that point, Perry had reclaimed his seat on the board of Energy Transfer and acquired its stock.
Rick Perry’s Ukrainian Dream|by Simon Shuster, TIME, and Ilya Marritz, WNYC|September 10, 2020|ProPublica

For the past three years, the share of new board seats filled by nonwhite candidates has remained stalled at 23%.
Nearly half of open board seats went to women in 2019. Only 23% were filled by people of color|ehinchliffe|September 10, 2020|Fortune
They want to change bad behaviors—tobacco, alcohol, using a seat belt, anything.
Can the U.S. Government Go Moneyball?|Peter Orszag, Jim Nussle|December 23, 2014|DAILY BEAST
On the Democratic side, many expect former Rep. Mike McMahon to make another run at the seat.
The Felon Who Wouldn’t Leave Congress|Ben Jacobs, David Freedlander|December 23, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Interestingly, if Grimm is expelled, he is not legally prohibited from running in the special election for his seat.
The Felon Who Wouldn’t Leave Congress|Ben Jacobs, David Freedlander|December 23, 2014|DAILY BEAST
This means every Senate seat will be Republican, and 80 percent of the House seats will be, too.
Dems, It’s Time to Dump Dixie|Michael Tomasky|December 8, 2014|DAILY BEAST
I had chosen a seat by the window, but Poitras vetoed the location.
Laura Poitras on Snowden's Unrevealed Secrets|Marlow Stern|December 1, 2014|DAILY BEAST
They would even come out and seat themselves on the point of a steep rock by the wayside.
The Chinese Fairy Book|Various
A piece of old carpet was my saddle, and served me likewise for a seat, a table, and various other purposes.
Travels in Arabia|Bayard Taylor
In a flash Vidac was out of the seat and examining the vehicle.
The Space Pioneers|Carey Rockwell
Dolores springs from her seat to the door and looks through the opening into the next room.
Zoe; Or, Some Day|May Leonard
When the swing stopped, the girl slipped off the seat and ran away as if she were answering a call.
Married|August Strindberg

British Dictionary definitions for seat

seat

/ (siːt) /

noun

a piece of furniture designed for sitting on, such as a chair or sofa

the part of a chair, bench, etc, on which one sits

a place to sit, esp one that requires a ticketI have two seats for the film tonight

the buttocks

the part of a garment covering the buttocks

the part or area serving as the base of an object

the part or surface on which the base of an object rests

the place or centre in which something is locateda seat of government

a place of abode, esp a country mansion that is or was originally the chief residence of a family

a membership or the right to membership in a legislative or similar body

mainly British a parliamentary constituency

membership in a stock exchange

the manner in which a rider sits on a horse

by the seat of one's pants by instinct rather than knowledge or experience

on seat Western African informal (of officials) in the office rather than on tour or on leavethe agricultural advisor will be on seat tomorrow

verb

(tr) to bring to or place on a seat; cause to sit down

(tr) to provide with seats

(tr; often passive) to place or centrethe ministry is seated in the capital

(tr) to set firmly in place

(tr) to fix or install in a position of power

(tr) to put a seat on or in (an item of furniture, garment, etc)

(intr) (of garments) to sag in the area covering the buttocksyour thin skirt has seated badly

Derived forms of seat

seatless, adjective

Word Origin for seat

Old English gesete; related to Old Norse sæti, Old High German gasāzi, Middle Dutch gesaete

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Idioms and Phrases with seat

seat

In addition to the idiom beginning with seat

seat of the pants, by the

also see:

backseat driver
catbird seat
hot seat
in the driver's seat
ringside seat
take a back seat

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seat