From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishsowsow1 /səʊ $ soʊ/ ●●○ verb (past tense sowed, past participle sown /səʊn $ soʊn/ or sowed) 1 [intransitive, transitive]DLGTA to plant or scatter seeds on a piece of ground Sow the seeds in late March.sow something with something These fields used to be sown with oats.2 CAUSE[transitive] to do something that will cause a bad situation in the future repressive laws that are sowing the seeds of future conflictssow doubt/confusion/dissatisfaction etc an attempt to sow doubt among the jury members3 → sow your wild oats —sower noun [countable]→ See Verb table
Examples from the Corpus
sow• But even before Edward's time, seeds of dissension had been sown.• They became farmers in the fields of stars; they sowed, and sometimes they reaped.• In August, sow early carrots in a cold frame or greenhouse and keep covered during winter for pulling as needed.• Slower varieties maturing in two months or more need to be sown in July to ensure a lengthy October harvest.• Seeds of these plants are sown in moist sand.• If you want an early crop, you should sow in September.• For several months after seed is sown, nothing can be seen to show that there will be a harvest.• The ground was still too waterlogged for sowing rice.• Sow the seeds in rows about 20 centimetres apart.• They think they're wooing the masses; instead they're sowing the seeds of their comeuppance.• Of what may come hereafter For men who sow to reap.• Other plants sown with the reeds absorb heavy metals and harmful bacteria.sow something with something• One year they decided to sow the field with barley instead.sow doubt/confusion/dissatisfaction etc• This teaching was a boon to the married laity, but it sowed confusion among priests.• It has sown confusion and anxiety among researchers by giving birth to the ambiguous concept of sensitive but unclassified research.• If your review does not stop them, at least your rapier has sown confusion and dismay.sowsow2 /saʊ/ noun [countable] HBAa fully grown female pig → boarExamples from the Corpus
sow• The company has tested the mechanism on piglets reared by 300 sows on a farm near York.• Soiled bedding is removed and fresh material is collected, by both boar and sow.• One of his sows is off colour.• Violence always bringing back the old sow.Origin sow1 Old English sawan sow2 Old English sugu 