Meaning & use

sow

verb·Academic

To plant seeds in the ground so that they will grow into crops.

See it in a sentence

Farmers sow wheat in the autumn so it can sprout before the winter frost.

She sowed rows of carrots and lettuce along the back of the garden.

A note on using this word

As a noun pronounced differently, sow also means an adult female pig; context and pronunciation distinguish the two meanings.

Words with a similar meaning

Choose a synonym to suit the sentence. Meanings can overlap without being identical.

Words with an opposite meaning

Another way to use it

2. noun

An adult female pig, especially one that has given birth.

The farmer led the sow and her piglets back into the barn before the storm.

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