sow
verb · noun
Simple meaning
To scatter, disperse.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
sowIPA pronunciation (US)
ˈsaʊ
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
verb
ambitransitive
To scatter, disperse, or plant (seeds).
figurative
To scatter over; to besprinkle.
figurative
To spread abroad; to propagate. (usu. negative connotation)
noun
An adult female hog
A female pig.
A female bear, she-bear.
A mass of metal solidified in a mold.
A channel that conducts molten metal to molds.
A sowbug.
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- C1 · Advanced
- Frequency
- Uncommon
- Typical Use
- Neutral / general English
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: (ambitransitive) To scatter, disperse, or plant (seeds).
Used this way, sow is a reasonably familiar word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.
- Emotional tone
- Neutral
- Formality
- Neutral
- Intensity
- Not strongly marked
- How common
- Moderately common
- Connotation
- No strong connotation
- Usage feel
- Neutral and straightforward
Nearby words
- inseminate , rarer, so it draws attention
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
More ways to use sow
- “Sow the ground with sunflower seeds.”verb
- “She sowed sunflower seeds.”verb
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Common Patterns and Combinations
How this word naturally appears with others.
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Word Family
Related forms, grouped by how they connect.
Compound terms
Established multiword terms.
Terrestrial isopod having an oval segmented body (a shape like a sow).
Place seeds in or on (the ground).
Live promiscuously and self-indulgently.
Live promiscuously and self-indulgently.
Any of several Old World coarse prickly-leaved shrubs and subshrubs having milky juice and yellow flowers.
More about this wordSynonyms, forms, origin
Synonyms
Sense: to scatter or disperse or or plant (seeds)
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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.