From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishseatseat1 /siːt/ ●●● S2 W1 noun 1 place to sit [countable]DSIT a place where you can sit, especially one in a vehicle or one from which you watch a performance, sports event etc I was in the back seat and Jo was driving. a 10,000-seat stadium People were shifting in their seats, looking uncomfortable.2 official position [countable]PG a position as an elected member of a government, or as a member of a group that makes official decisionsseat in/on a seat in the National Assembly Promotion would mean a seat on the board of directors.Parliamentary/Senate etc seat the Senate seat for Coloradowin/gain/lose a seat (=at an election) He predicts that his party will gain at least 12 seats.hold a seat (=have a seat) The Republicans hold 235 seats and the Democrats have 197. keep/hold onto a seat Mr Adams is expected to keep his seat. Labour held onto the seat with a 7% majority.safe seat British English one that a party will not losemarginal seat British English one that another party might easily win3 part of a chair [countable usually singular]DHF the flat part of a chair etc that you sit on Don’t put your feet on the seat! a wooden toilet seat a broken bicycle seat4 → baby/child/car seat5 → seat of government/power6 → seat of learning7 DCCclothes [singular] the part of your trousers that you sit onseat of a rip in the seat of his jeans8 → take a back seat (to somebody/something)9 → on the edge of your seat10 → do something by the seat of your pants11 → in the driving seat12 → in the hot seat13 house [countable]DHH a home of a rich important family in the countrysidefamily/country seat → back-seat driver at back seat(2), → window seatCOLLOCATIONS – Meaning 1: a place where you can sit, especially one in a vehicle or one from which you watch a performance, sports event etcADJECTIVES/NOUN + seatfreeExcuse me, is this seat free?an empty/vacant seatPatrick spotted an empty seat near the back.the front/back/rear seat (=in a car)Never leave bags on the back seat of a car.the driver's seatHe climbed into the driver's seat.the passenger seatThe cop in the passenger seat spun around to stare at him.a window/aisle seat (=one next to the window or the space between seats, for example in a plane)I'd prefer a window seat, please.a front-row seat (=one at the front of a theatre, sports ground etc)We had front-row seats.a ringside seat (=one in the front row at a sports event, especially a boxing match)We managed to get ringside seats, so we had a great view of the fight.a good seat (=one from which you can see well)I managed to get a fairly good seat, near the front.verbshave a seatWe had really good seats, just in front of the stage.have/take a seat (=sit down)Take a seat, please.book/reserve a seatYou can book seats online.show somebody to their seatA flight attendant showed them to their seats.go back to/return to your seatThe audience clapped as he returned to his seat.resume your seat formal (=sit down again)We resumed our seats for the second half of the play.save somebody a seat (=tell other people not to sit there)I'll save you a seat next to me.phrasesbums on seats British English informal (=used for saying that something or someone can attract a large audience)He is an actor who will put bums on seats. COLLOCATIONS – Meaning 2: a position as an elected member of a government, or as a member of a group that makes official decisionsverbshave/hold a seatThe Liberals now hold 292 seats in Parliament.win a seatThe following year he won a seat on the local council.gain a seat (also take a seat from somebody) (=win a seat from another party)At the next election the Republicans gained 12 seats in the Senate.Labour took over fifty seats from the Conservatives.lose a seatShe lost her seat at the last election.keep/hold onto a seat (also retain a seat formal) (=not lose it in an election)He is unlikely to retain his seat after next year's election.Labour managed to hold the seat, but with a reduced majority.contest a seat (also run for a seat) (=try to win it)Twenty-four candidates contested the five seats.He ran for the seat as a Republican.ADJECTIVES/NOUN + seata parliamentary seatHe and his followers won 10 of the state's 13 parliamentary seats in last month's general election.a Senate seata congressional seata Labour/Republican etc seat (=one that a particular party usually wins)Middlesbrough is one of the safest Labour seats in the country.a safe seat British English (=one that a party is unlikely to lose)Maidstone is considered a safe seat for the Conservatives.a marginal seat British English (=one that a party might easily lose)The party also successfully targeted marginal seats in key areas.
Examples from the Corpus
seat• Forza Italia has 110 seats, and Berlusconi has frequently changed his mind about whether Dini should stay in office.• Communists catapulted from 45 to 157 seats in the 450-seat Duma to dominate a fractious chamber divided by eight political parties.• Republicans hold 235 of the 435 seats in the House.• Richard Corish held a seat in Wexford from 1921 until his death in 1945.• a seat on the board of directors• It was also a year when investment bankers took a back seat.• 'Slow down!' yelled Ben from the back seat.• a chair with a broken seat• He believes they will win in the new town areas where they already have the local council seats sewn up.• When we arrived, every seat was filled, so we stood at the back.• There was blood and broken glass all over the front seats.• He leaned back in his seat and lit a cigarette.• Our seats were right at the front of the airplane.• His left arm was jammed tight against the side of the seat.• comfortable padded theater seats• There were three seats in our region, the Southeast.• Who left the toilet seat up?• There are two seats left in the back row.seat in/on• When suffrage came two years later she won a seat in the legislature, which she held for three terms.• Before you put your key in the ignition, make sure you are seated in a comfortable position for driving.• Labour scored its biggest successes in London, where it gained a dozen seats on an above-average swing of 3.4 percent.• At the same time, the preferred applicants have the opportunity to compete for every seat in the class...• McQuaid was seated in the armchair by the fire.• Cheryl Russell was seated on the far side of the refectory, watching the simularity.• Hundreds of temple volunteers ensured that you were seated in the exact spot marked out for you.family/country seat• He invested his business gains in building up an estate, purchasing as a country seat the former Carmelite priory of Aylesford.• At length he returned to the boarded-up shell which had been his family seat for countless generations.• The princess had arrived at Althorp, the Spencer family seat earlier in the day.seatseat2 ●●○ verb [transitive] 1 [not in progressive]SIZE if a place seats a number of people, it has enough seats for that number The arena seats 60,000.2 → seat yourself (in/on/beside etc something)3 SITto arrange for someone to sit somewhereseat somebody beside/near etc somebody/something the old custom of seating boys and girls on opposite sides of the classroom → seated→ See Verb tableExamples from the Corpus
seat• The arena seats 30,000.• The Boeing 747 seats 400-425 passengers.• North Carolina Motor Speedway seated 48,000 until it was expanded to about 60,000 seats in 1998.• The auditorium seats 500 people.• There were reports of fans waiting in line as early as 6 a. m. Saturday to inquire about season seats.• After she seated herself at our table, other writers came by and, pulling chairs over, sat down.• She seated herself at the desk, relocated a floral display and smiled as the first patient walked into the room.• Parents are encouraged to ensure that the child is seated safely and comfortably.• The Captain was seated with his back to the door.From Longman Business Dictionaryseatseat /siːt/ noun [countable]1a position as a member of a government or a group that makes official decisionsSince 2005, he has held a seat on the Board of Directors.2FINANCE a position as a member of a financial marketForeign brokerage houses will be offered more seats on the Stock Exchange of Singapore.Origin seat1 (1100-1200) Old Norse sæti 