sow
1 Americanverb (used with object)
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to scatter (seed) over land, earth, etc., for growth; plant.
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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)
noun
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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
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had sowedperfect
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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.
Another manufacturer equates the process to "creating our own weather system in these massive chambers," says Claudia Goldfarb, CEO of Sow Good in Texas.
From BBC • Dec. 5, 2025
A majority of the works in “Pretty Birds Peer Speak Sow Peculiar” are small weavings created on a handmade loom.
From New York Times • May 2, 2024
“Our democracy will emerge stronger from these results,” Ndeye Sow, 27, told The Associated Press.
From Seattle Times • Mar. 25, 2024
If Mr. Sow and Mr. Jalloh are convicted, each faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison.
From Washington Times • Nov. 16, 2023
Because of these shortcomings, Louise was hard-pressed to find a job that Miggery Sow could effectively perform.
From "The Tale of Despereaux: Being the Story of a Mouse, a Princess, Some Soup and a Spool of Thread" by Kate DiCamillo
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.
