noun
Sow
sow
noun
1
An adult female pig, especially one that has had a litter.
"The farmer moved the sow and her piglets into a clean pen."
"A healthy sow can produce two litters a year."
verb
1
To plant seeds in the ground so they can grow.
"They sowed the field with wheat in early spring."
"It's time to sow the tomato seeds indoors."
2
To spread or introduce something, especially something that causes trouble, so it grows or spreads.
"The rumor was designed to sow doubt among the team."
"His speech seemed intended to sow division rather than unity."
How to Use Sow
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishEither a mother pig, or the act of planting seeds (literally or as a figure of speech, like "sow confusion").
Common mistake
Homograph of "sow" (rhymes with "cow," the pig) versus "sow" (rhymes with "go," the planting verb) — same spelling, two unrelated words with different pronunciations. Don't confuse the verb with "sew" (to stitch fabric), which sounds identical.
Common pairings
sow seeds
sow doubt
sow discord
a sow and her piglets
Word Forms
Sows plural
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The farmer moved the _____ and her piglets into a clean pen.
Etymology
From Old English sāwan ("to scatter seed"), from a very old Germanic root shared with "seed."