seed

/siːd/
verb
  1. To plant seeds in an area of ground.
    • Farmers seed the fields with corn every spring.
    • He seeded the garden with wildflowers.
    • We need to seed the lawn before the rain comes.
  2. To remove seeds from a fruit or vegetable.
    • She seeded the bell peppers for the recipe.
    • You should seed the grapes if you are making juice.
    • Please seed the watermelon before cutting it into slices.
  3. To arrange a tournament so that the strongest players or teams do not meet until later rounds.
    • They seeded the top four teams to avoid early matchups.
    • The committee will seed the players based on their rankings.
    • The tournament director seeded the bracket carefully.
Synonyms
noun
  1. The small, hard part of a plant from which a new plant can grow.
    • Each apple contains several small seeds.
    • She planted a sunflower seed in the garden.
    • Birds love to eat the seeds from the feeder.
  2. The beginning or origin of something that develops later.
    • The idea was the seed of a successful business.
    • His speech planted the seeds of doubt in their minds.
    • That small argument was the seed of a much larger conflict.
  3. A player or team ranked in a tournament, especially one given a high position to avoid early elimination.
    • She was the top seed in the tennis tournament.
    • The number two seed advanced to the semifinals.
    • As a low seed, they had to play the champion in the first round.
Synonyms