sow
1 Americanverb (used with object)
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sows,
present (3rd person singular)
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sowed,
past participle, past
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sown,
past participle
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sowing
present participle
-
to scatter (seed) over land, earth, etc., for growth; plant.
-
to plant seed for.
to sow a crop.
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to scatter seed over (land, earth, etc.) for the purpose of growth.
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to implant, introduce, or promulgate; seek to propagate or extend; disseminate.
to sow distrust or dissension.
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to strew or sprinkle with anything.
verb (used without object)
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sows,
present (3rd person singular)
-
sowed,
past participle, past
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sown,
past participle
-
sowing
present participle
noun
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sows
plural
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an adult female swine.
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the adult female of various other animals, as the bear.
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Metallurgy.
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a large oblong mass of iron that has solidified in the common channel through which the molten metal flows to the smaller channels in which the pigs solidify.
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the common channel itself.
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a basin holding any of certain molten nonferrous metals to be cast.
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noun
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a female adult pig
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the female of certain other animals, such as the mink
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metallurgy
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the channels for leading molten metal to the moulds in casting pig iron
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iron that has solidified in these channels
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verb
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to scatter or place (seed, a crop, etc) in or on (a piece of ground, field, etc) so that it may grow
to sow wheat
to sow a strip of land
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(tr) to implant or introduce
to sow a doubt in someone's mind
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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sowsimple
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sowssimple
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have sowedperfect
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have sownperfect
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has sowedperfect
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has sownperfect
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am sowingprogressive
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are sowingprogressive
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is sowingprogressive
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have been sowingperfect progressive
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has been sowingperfect progressive
Past
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sowedsimple
-
had sowedperfect
-
had sownperfect
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was sowingprogressive
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were sowingprogressive
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had been sowingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of sow1
First recorded before 900; Middle English sowen, Old English sāwan; cognate with Dutch zaaien, German säen, Old Norse sā, Gothic saian; akin to seed, Latin sēmen “seed”
Origin of sow2
First recorded before 900; Middle English soue, sou(we), Old English sugu, sū; cognate with German Sau, Old Norse sȳr, Latin sūs, Greek hûs, Tocharian B suwo; see swine
Explanation
When you plant seeds in the ground, you sow them. You can also sow things like doubts or ideas, simply by spreading them around. If your ideas (or your seeds) develop and grow, you've successfully sown them. The verb sow is pronounced completely differently from the noun sow, which means "a female pig." When you sow flower seeds, it rhymes with "go." When you admire an enormous, muddy sow in a pig pen, it rhymes with "cow." When two words are spelled the same but sound different, they're called heteronyms.
Vocabulary lists containing sow
"The Hill We Climb," by Amanda Gorman
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Dirty Words: The Language of Gardening
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Starting Your New Life: Inspiring Words from Commencement Speeches
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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:
Kateri’s section is quieter and methodical like its central hero, who slips undetected among this community to sow her chaos and reap her revenge.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 14, 2026
“AI hype and exuberant financial markets” could sow the seeds of instability.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 8, 2026
Millions of farmers rely on seasonal monsoon rains to sow their crops and a shortfall or delay significantly affects their output.
From BBC ● Jul. 1, 2026
This is a show that pits real people against each other by requiring them to build friendships and trust while empowering a few to sow doubt and dissent by lying through their teeth.
From Salon ● Jun. 20, 2026
They were pursuing the sow along a road on the edge of the resort where bungalows were fronted by small patches of gardens surrounded by fences.
From "Atonement" by Ian McEwan
The Scottish government says the total number of sows has reduced by about 15% since the start of the year and four producers have left the sector.
From BBC ● Jul. 10, 2026
Wall Street loves an ugly portmanteau, or jamming together of two words in a way that sows confusion, followed closely by dislike.
From Barron's ● Jun. 12, 2026
He sows chaos even when he clearly doesn’t mean the things he says.
From Slate ● Mar. 6, 2026
“Their foolish screed sows doubt and confusion—which only puts our warriors in danger.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 24, 2025
“That mutinous fowl! He sows seeds of sedition among the crew even as he sits on my shoulder.”
From "Challenger Deep" by Neal Shusterman
The policy shift sowed chaos in federal courts, as thousands of immigrants began suing for bond hearings that had long been automatic.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 31, 2026
Monday's quake sowed panic in otherwise sleepy parts of Mindnao.
From BBC ● Jun. 9, 2026
The masks and lack of identification have sowed fears the armed men could be people posing as law enforcement officers.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 1, 2025
But comments from bank boss Jerome Powell last month that a December repeat was not "a foregone conclusion" sowed the seeds of doubt, while several other decision-makers have made similar noises.
From Barron's ● Nov. 14, 2025
Before her it was Werran, whose scream sowed panic in the minds of all who heard it.
From "Strange the Dreamer" by Laini Taylor
The seed of Stellantis’s bet on Wayve was sown on a test ride in London, when the technology wowed the carmaker’s chief technology officer, Ned Curic, with its humanlike way of edging into flowing traffic.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 28, 2026
Hoover took office in March of 1929, with the seeds of the Great Depression already sown by roaring 20s policy.
From Barron's ● Jun. 17, 2026
But in about 1989, the seeds of a new Muffler Man era were sown.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 12, 2026
Iran's track record of feeding kernels of truth alongside false information has sown doubt among many critics of the regime inside and outside the country.
From BBC ● Mar. 15, 2026
Along with the grain, it appears I have also sown strong seeds of friendship.
From "Hattie Big Sky" by Kirby Larson
"In the spring when it was crazy rain, everything was delayed - sowing and planting -because it was just relentless, and then it was almost like an off-switch," added garden and food writer Stephanie Hafferty.
From BBC ● Jul. 22, 2026
Meanwhile, frightful aftershocks continued to rock the area, sowing terror in a population already reaching the limits of endurance.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 30, 2026
The people of New York vanquished him with none of the spite he has spent decades sowing, but with grace, love, and pride in their city.
From Salon ● Jun. 17, 2026
But the Middle East conflict has strained shipping routes through the Strait of Hormuz, a key route for supplies, heightening unease among farmers ahead of the July-October sowing period.
From Barron's ● Jun. 16, 2026
It seems that this season of sowing is not simply about planting flax and wheat.
From "Hattie Big Sky" by Kirby Larson
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.
