plural seed or seeds
1
a(1)
: the grains or ripened ovules of plants used for sowing
(2)
: the fertilized ripened ovule of a flowering plant containing an embryo and capable normally of germination to produce a new plant
broadly
: a propagative plant structure (such as a spore or small dry fruit)
c
: the condition or stage of bearing seed
in seed
2
: progeny
3
: a source of development or growth : germ
sowed the seeds of discord
4
: something (such as a tiny particle or a bubble in glass) that resembles a seed in shape or size
5
: a competitor who has been seeded in a tournament
the top seed
seeded; seeding; seeds
1
b
: to furnish with something that causes or stimulates growth or development
c
d
: to supply with nuclei (as of crystallization or condensation)
especially
: to treat (a cloud) with solid particles to convert water droplets into ice crystals in an attempt to produce precipitation
e
: to cover or permeate by or as if by scattering something
seeded [the] sea-lanes with thousands of magnetic mines—
Otto Friedrich
Otto Friedrich2
3
: to extract the seeds from (fruit)
4
a
: to schedule (tournament players or teams) so that superior ones will not meet in early rounds
b
: to rank (a contestant) relative to others in a tournament on the basis of previous record
the top-seeded tennis star
Did you know?
Do you cede or seed control?
Cede means "to yield or grant typically by treaty." Most of the verb senses of seed are concerned with planting seeds (either literal, as of plants, or figuratively, as of ideas). However, the word may also be used to mean "to schedule (tournament players or teams) so that superior ones will not meet in early rounds." If you relinquish or yield something you are ceding it, and if you are organizing the participants in a tournament you are seeding them.
Synonyms
Examples of seed in a Sentence
Noun
a packet of sunflower seeds
He planted the seeds three inches apart.
She raked the grass seed into the soil.
The top seed won the tournament.
Our team is the number one seed.
She is ranked as the third seed.
Verb
We seeded the field with corn.
These plants will seed late in the fall.
After you wash and seed the peppers you can chop them.
Recent Examples on the WebBrian Handwerk, Smithsonian Magazine, 29 Apr. 2024
Saint Mary’s, a No. 5 seed, fell to No. 12 Grand Canyon in the first round last month.
—Nathan Canilao, The Mercury News, 29 Apr. 2024
With seeds that look like tiny cotton balls, the plant can produce clones of itself for hundreds or even thousands of years.
—Tyrone Beason, Los Angeles Times, 28 Apr. 2024
Months after storm devastated Shreveport, Louisiana, planting the seeds of change: Reporter's Notebook
An enhanced risk for severe thunderstorms is in the outlook Sunday from eastern Texas to southern Missouri, as well as the possibility of strong tornadoes, damaging wind and large hail.
—Bill Hutchinson, ABC News, 28 Apr. 2024
With over 4,400 cannabis seeds for sale, Seedsman is a reputable seed bank based in Europe.
—Anna Miller, Sacramento Bee, 26 Apr. 2024
The Pirates, the fourth seed out of District 5-5A, defeated 6-5A top seed South Hills 9-0 on Wednesday night.
—Charles Baggarly, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 26 Apr. 2024
Planting the seed for surrogacy Westerfield and her husband, Max, live in Celina, Ohio, with their three biological children: Mckenna, 13, Jack, 11, and Charlie, 10.
—Rosie Colosi, NBC News, 25 Apr. 2024
In a small pan or pot, melt the ghee over medium heat and add the cumin seeds.
—Priya Krishna, San Diego Union-Tribune, 24 Apr. 2024
Trisha Garcia-Easto, Sacramento Bee, 18 Apr. 2024
Secondly, seeding operations tend to take place in the east of the country, far from more populated areas like Dubai.
—Amit Katwala, WIRED, 17 Apr. 2024
In what should be a thrilling end to the season, the Pelicans will travel to Golden State before ending their campaign at home to the Lakers, while the Suns’ final two games are away versus the Kings and the No. 2 seeded Minnesota Timberwolves.
—Matias Grez, CNN, 12 Apr. 2024
Both winners leaned heavily on favorites as the title games featured meetings between teams seeded No. 1 in their region.
—Randall Williams, Fortune, 10 Apr. 2024
One $25-million donation seeded the $65-million development of a six-story, 80,000-square-feet building with classrooms, study rooms, an event space and a cafe.
—Teresa Watanabe, Los Angeles Times, 10 Apr. 2024
North Carolina State is more experienced on this stage, historically, even if they were seeded No. 11 this year to Purdue’s No. 1.
—NBC News, 7 Apr. 2024
Start cucumbers, squash, pumpkins and melons in large pots now for transplant in a few weeks, or seed them directly in the ground toward the end of the month.
—Nan Sterman, San Diego Union-Tribune, 6 Apr. 2024
With the playoffs looming and seeding up for grabs, there certainly should be.
—Danny Emerman, The Mercury News, 3 Apr. 2024
Noun
When these seeds are in short supply, dormice don’t mate, perhaps because their young, born only three months before hibernation time, wouldn’t be able to fatten up quickly enough to survive.
—Brian Handwerk, Smithsonian Magazine, 29 Apr. 2024
Saint Mary’s, a No. 5 seed, fell to No. 12 Grand Canyon in the first round last month.
—Nathan Canilao, The Mercury News, 29 Apr. 2024
With seeds that look like tiny cotton balls, the plant can produce clones of itself for hundreds or even thousands of years.
—Tyrone Beason, Los Angeles Times, 28 Apr. 2024
Months after storm devastated Shreveport, Louisiana, planting the seeds of change: Reporter's Notebook
An enhanced risk for severe thunderstorms is in the outlook Sunday from eastern Texas to southern Missouri, as well as the possibility of strong tornadoes, damaging wind and large hail.
—Bill Hutchinson, ABC News, 28 Apr. 2024
With over 4,400 cannabis seeds for sale, Seedsman is a reputable seed bank based in Europe.
—Anna Miller, Sacramento Bee, 26 Apr. 2024
The Pirates, the fourth seed out of District 5-5A, defeated 6-5A top seed South Hills 9-0 on Wednesday night.
—Charles Baggarly, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 26 Apr. 2024
Planting the seed for surrogacy Westerfield and her husband, Max, live in Celina, Ohio, with their three biological children: Mckenna, 13, Jack, 11, and Charlie, 10.
—Rosie Colosi, NBC News, 25 Apr. 2024
In a small pan or pot, melt the ghee over medium heat and add the cumin seeds.
—Priya Krishna, San Diego Union-Tribune, 24 Apr. 2024
Verb
But seeds seven to ten compete in a play-in tournament to determine who takes the No. 7 and No. 8 seeds in the official playoff bracket.
—Trisha Garcia-Easto, Sacramento Bee, 18 Apr. 2024
Secondly, seeding operations tend to take place in the east of the country, far from more populated areas like Dubai.
—Amit Katwala, WIRED, 17 Apr. 2024
In what should be a thrilling end to the season, the Pelicans will travel to Golden State before ending their campaign at home to the Lakers, while the Suns’ final two games are away versus the Kings and the No. 2 seeded Minnesota Timberwolves.
—Matias Grez, CNN, 12 Apr. 2024
Both winners leaned heavily on favorites as the title games featured meetings between teams seeded No. 1 in their region.
—Randall Williams, Fortune, 10 Apr. 2024
One $25-million donation seeded the $65-million development of a six-story, 80,000-square-feet building with classrooms, study rooms, an event space and a cafe.
—Teresa Watanabe, Los Angeles Times, 10 Apr. 2024
North Carolina State is more experienced on this stage, historically, even if they were seeded No. 11 this year to Purdue’s No. 1.
—NBC News, 7 Apr. 2024
Start cucumbers, squash, pumpkins and melons in large pots now for transplant in a few weeks, or seed them directly in the ground toward the end of the month.
—Nan Sterman, San Diego Union-Tribune, 6 Apr. 2024
With the playoffs looming and seeding up for grabs, there certainly should be.
—Danny Emerman, The Mercury News, 3 Apr. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'seed.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Cite this Entry
“Seed.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/seed. Accessed 3 May. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
seed
1 of 2 noun
plural seed or seeds
1
2
: the children of one individual
the seed of David
3
: something from which growth takes place : germ
4
: a competitor who has been seeded in a tournament
the top seed
seed
2 of 2 verb1
: to produce or shed seeds
weeds that seed freely
2
: to plant seeds in : sow
seed a lawn with grass
3
: to treat (a cloud) with solid particles to convert water droplets into ice crystals in an attempt to produce rain
4
: to remove seeds from
5
: to rank (a player or team) in a tournament on the basis of previous record
was seeded second in the state tournament
Medical Definition
seed
1 of 3 noun
plural seed or seeds
1
a
: the fertilized ripened ovule of a flowering plant containing an embryo and capable normally of germination to produce a new plant
broadly
: a propagative plant structure (as a spore or small dry fruit)
2
: a small usually glass and gold or platinum capsule used as a container for a radioactive substance (as radium or radon) to be applied usually interstitially in the treatment of cancer
implantation of radon seeds for bladder cancer
seed
2 of 3 intransitive verb
: to bear or shed seed
1
: to furnish with something that causes or stimulates growth or development
2
3
: to supply with nuclei (as of crystallization or condensation)
seed
3 of 3 adjective1
: selected or used to produce a new crop or stock
seed virus
2
: left or saved for breeding
a seed population
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