sow — to plant seeds in the ground
Part of speech: VERB
Definition: to plant seeds in the ground
Pronunciation (IPA): /soʊ/
Example Sentences
- My grandmother always said 'You reap what you sow' when I complained about bad grades.
- The politician tried to sow doubt about his opponent's honesty.
- The farmer's prized sow escaped and was found eating pizza in the neighbor's backyard.
sow
VERB[/soʊ/]
to plant seeds in the ground

The old farmer walks slowly across the field to sow wheat seeds by hand.

She takes a bow, makes a vow, then begins to sow.
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🎤Pronunciation
🌳Etymology
Origin
The word 'sow' represents two distinct etymologies that happen to share identical spelling. The verb derives from Old English sāwan, meaning 'to scatter or plant seeds,' related to Germanic roots meaning 'to sow.' The noun comes from Old English sugu, denoting a female pig, with Indo-European origins related to the Sanskrit sukarah.
Breakdown
Verb: sāwan (Old English) from Proto-Germanic *sawanan, meaning 'to scatter seeds.' Noun: sugu (Old English) from Proto-Indo-European *su-, the root for swine/pig animals.
🎵Rhyme
🔗Collocations
📝Examples
“My grandmother always said 'You reap what you sow' when I complained about bad grades.”
“The politician tried to sow doubt about his opponent's honesty.”
“The farmer's prized sow escaped and was found eating pizza in the neighbor's backyard.”
“Every spring, we sow carrots and tomatoes in our vegetable garden.”
📚Related Words
Synonyms
Antonyms
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