seed
seed — noun
1. a tiny, often hard object that forms inside a plant and can be placed in soil to
a tiny, often hard object that forms inside a plant and can be placed in soil to grow a new plant
Ryan planted a sunflower seed in a small pot on the kitchen window.
The farmer saved the best seeds from this year's crop for next spring.
countable: seeds from [crop]
A single poppy seed can grow into a plant with dozens of flowers.
Birds ate most of the seeds that Mei scattered across the garden.
Some seeds need cold weather before they will start to grow.
- plant a seed
- sow seeds
- grow from seed
- seed packet
- seed bank
Usage Note
Used as a countable noun (one seed, many seeds) and also as uncountable when referring to seeds as a general substance — for example, 'birdseed' or 'seed can be stored for years in a dry place.'
Common Mistakes
2. the fluid produced by male animals and humans that carries sperm and is involved
the fluid produced by male animals and humans that carries sperm and is involved in reproduction
The doctor examined a sample of the patient's seed under a microscope.
uncountable: seed as biological fluid
Researchers studied how temperature changes affect seed quality in mammals.
The fertility clinic stores donated seed in containers at very low temperatures.
Veterinarians collected seed from the stallion for the breeding programme.
- donated seed
- seed quality
- store seed
- collect seed
Usage Note
Clinical or biological register. In everyday conversation, the word 'semen' is far more common than 'seed' for this meaning.
3. the stage when an edible plant is left unpicked until it forms flower heads and
the stage when an edible plant is left unpicked until it forms flower heads and develops seeds rather than being gathered for food
The lettuce had gone to seed after Lien forgot to pick it before summer.
fixed phrase: go/run to seed (literal)
If you leave the broccoli in the ground too long, it will run to seed.
The farmer's spinach crop had all gone to seed during the heatwave.
Marco let the courgette plant run to seed to save seeds for next year.
- go to seed
- run to seed
- bolting
the technical gardening term for a plant that has gone to seed prematurely
Usage Note
Always appears in the fixed phrases 'go to seed' or 'run to seed'. Not used outside this construction for this meaning.
4. a worn-down, untidy state that a person, place, or thing develops when nobody ta
a worn-down, untidy state that a person, place, or thing develops when nobody takes proper care of it
After the owner moved away, the old hotel gradually went to seed.
fixed phrase: go/run to seed (figurative)
Tunde's once-beautiful garden had sadly gone to seed with weeds everywhere.
The park had run to seed since the council stopped paying for gardeners.
Esteban's suit looked like it had gone to seed with frayed cuffs and missing buttons.
- go to seed
- run to seed
- deteriorate
more formal and general, not limited to appearance
- decline
broader — can refer to health, quality, or standards over time
- thrive
to grow or develop well with proper care
Usage Note
Always in the set phrases 'go to seed' or 'run to seed'. Applies to people's appearance or the condition of buildings and outdoor spaces.
5. a small starting point from which a thought, emotion, or larger process graduall
a small starting point from which a thought, emotion, or larger process gradually grows
The seeds of doubt were planted in her mind by the anonymous letter.
phrase: seeds of [something]
That short conversation contained the seeds of their future business partnership.
The seeds of the revolution were sown during years of unfair government policies.
Even as a young child, Nia showed the seeds of her talent for classical music.
- seeds of doubt
- seeds of change
- plant the seeds of
- sow the seeds of
- end
the final point or conclusion of a process or development
Usage Note
Almost always used in the plural — 'the seeds of something'. Commonly followed by 'of + noun' to name what will develop.
6. a player or team placed in a ranked position in a tournament draw so that the st
a player or team placed in a ranked position in a tournament draw so that the strongest competitors do not meet one another in the early rounds
The top seed lost in the first round, which shocked the tennis world.
sports ranking: top / first / second seed
Karim was the third seed at the national badminton championship this year.
The tournament's number one seed advanced easily to the quarter-finals.
As the defending champion, Aoi was given the top seed in the competition.
- top seed
- number one seed
- first seed
- seeded player
- seeded position
Usage Note
Commonly paired with ordinal numbers — 'first seed', 'second seed' — or with 'top/number one' for the highest-ranked player.
Common Mistakes
go/run to seed
idiomWhen a plant produces flowers and seeds instead of leaves, or when a person becomes less healthy or attractive because of neglect.
My lettuce plants went to seed after the hot weather.
After his retirement, he let himself run to seed.
To start a process that will lead to a particular result or situation.
Her early training sowed the seeds of her future success.
The argument sowed the seeds of doubt in their relationship.
seed — verb
1. to form and release seeds as part of a plant's natural life cycle
to form and release seeds as part of a plant's natural life cycle
The tomato plants began to seed in late August after weeks of hot weather.
intransitive: plants seed (naturally)
Some wildflowers seed themselves by dropping their grains directly onto the ground.
The oak tree seeds every autumn, covering the driveway with hundreds of acorns.
After the dry summer, the grass had already seeded and turned brown.
- seed itself
- begin to seed
- stop seeding
- go to seed
describes the process more fully, including the plant's decline after seeding
Usage Note
Can be used intransitively ('the plant seeds in autumn') or transitively ('the plant seeds itself'). The transitive form is usually reflexive with 'itself'.
2. to take out the small hard parts from inside produce such as melons, peppers, or
to take out the small hard parts from inside produce such as melons, peppers, or squash before cooking or eating
Yael seeded the watermelon before cutting it into small pieces for the salad.
transitive: seed + fruit/vegetable
The recipe says to seed the jalapeños for a milder sauce.
Hari seeded each tomato by cutting it open and scooping out the inside.
Before making the jam, Élise seeded all the grapes by hand in the kitchen.
- seed and chop
- seed the [fruit]
- seeded tomatoes
- seed before cooking
- deseed
the synonym more commonly used in British English cookbooks
Usage Note
Very common in cooking instructions. Usually appears in the imperative or infinitive form in recipes — 'Seed the peppers before chopping them.'
3. to put seeds into the ground so that they can grow into new plants
to put seeds into the ground so that they can grow into new plants
The farmer seeded the field with wheat just before the spring rains arrived.
transitive: seed + [land] with [crop]
Ryan seeded the empty patches in the lawn with a fresh grass mixture.
The volunteers seeded the hillside with young trees after the forest fire.
Esme seeded the vegetable patch with carrots and beetroots last weekend.
- seed the field
- seed the lawn
- seed with [crop]
- newly seeded
Usage Note
The direct object is the area being planted (the land, field, or container). The type of seed is introduced with 'with' — 'seed the field with corn.'
Common Mistakes
4. to introduce an idea, feeling, or resource into a situation with the intention o
to introduce an idea, feeling, or resource into a situation with the intention of making it grow or develop over time
The manager's unfair comments seeded a growing sense of anger among the team.
transitive: seed + [feeling] + in/among [group]
Mateo's question seeded an interesting discussion about the future of the company.
The government program seeded small businesses with low-interest loans.
The documentary seeded doubts in Tara's mind about everything she had believed.
- seed doubt
- seed an idea
- seed with [money]
- seed in [someone's mind]
Usage Note
Commonly takes a prepositional phrase — 'seed doubt in someone's mind', 'seed an idea among the team', 'seed a project with funds'. The adverb or preposition is usually required to complete the meaning.
5. to assign a top player or team a numbered position in a tournament draw so that
to assign a top player or team a numbered position in a tournament draw so that the best competitors are kept apart from each other at the start of the event
The defending champion was seeded first in this year's Wimbledon tournament.
passive: was/were seeded [number]
Esteban was seeded fifth but played well enough to reach the final match.
The committee seeded the players based on their performance over the past year.
A young unknown player defeated several seeded opponents to win the title.
- be seeded [number]
- seeded player
- seeded [number] in the tournament
- top-seeded
- rank
broader — used in any competition or list, not specifically for tournament draw placement
Usage Note
This sense is almost always used in the passive voice — 'He was seeded third.' The active form ('The committee seeded him third') is possible but much less common.
6. to release substances such as silver iodide into clouds from an aircraft, in an
to release substances such as silver iodide into clouds from an aircraft, in an attempt to cause rain to fall
The government sent planes to seed the clouds during the severe drought.
transitive: seed + clouds
Scientists seeded the clouds with silver iodide to try to end the dry spell.
The company specialises in cloud seeding for farming regions with low rainfall.
After the clouds were seeded, heavy rain fell across the valley within a few hours.
- seed the clouds
- cloud seeding
- seed with silver iodide
- seeded clouds
Usage Note
A technical term in meteorology and agriculture. The noun form 'cloud seeding' is more common than the verb 'to seed clouds.'
Word family
- seedingnounC1
- seededadjectiveB2
- seedlingnounB2
- seedyadjectiveC1
- seedlessadjectiveB2
- seedernounC2
Synonym discussion
Sense: noun/1
All four words refer to plant reproductive or storage structures, but each picks out a distinct thing. 'Seed' is the most general — any small object that can grow into a new plant. 'Pip' is narrower, referring to the small hard seed found in fruits such as apples, oranges, and pears; you would not call a sunflower seed a pip. 'Kernel' applies to the softer, edible part inside a hard shell, most often the seed of a cereal like corn or wheat — a popcorn kernel, but not a tomato kernel. 'Grain' overlaps with kernel for cereal seeds but also describes any tiny, sand-like seed (poppy seeds are grains). 'Bulb' is structurally different: a bulb is an underground storage organ (like an onion or tulip bulb), not a seed at all, but learners sometimes confuse the two because both are planted to produce flowers. A seed is a single embryonic plant; a bulb is a swollen leaf base that stores food.
Common collocations
Nouns
- packet
- bank
- variety
- coat
- dormancy
Adverbs
- carefully
- thinly
- directly
- lightly
- broadcast
Phrases
- go to seed
- run to seed
- from seed to harvest
Prepositions
- from
- into
- with
- in
Etymology
The word 'seed' comes from Old English sæd, which itself traces back to a Proto-Germanic root *sēdiz meaning 'that which is sown'. This Germanic root developed from the even older Proto-Indo-European root *seh₁-, meaning 'to sow' or 'to throw'. The same ancient root gave rise to the Latin word serere (to sow), from which English gets 'semen', 'seminar', and 'disseminate'. The connection between planting seeds in the ground and spreading ideas or doubts has existed in English since at least the 13th century, making the figurative sense of 'seed' nearly as old as the literal one.