seeding

/siːd/ (bre, ipa) · [sˈidɪŋ] /siːd/ (ame, ipa) · [sˈidɪŋ] /ˈsēd/ (ame, mw)

seeding — verb

  • seedingpresent simple I / you / we / they
  • seedings3rd person singular
  • seedinging-ing form
  • seedingedpast simple

1. When a plant or flower seeds, it grows seeds and drops them so that new plants c

1.動詞及物 / 不及物B2
釋義

When a plant or flower seeds, it grows seeds and drops them so that new plants can grow from them.

例句

The sunflowers in Tariro's garden began to seed in late summer.

intransitive use: plants seed naturally

If you let the lettuce plant seed, volunteers will appear next spring.

同義詞
  • go to seed

    more common phrasing for the same process, especially when a plant is past its best

文法句型

seed (intransitive)

seed + direct object (rare, transitive)

用法筆記

Often used in gardening contexts to describe the natural life cycle. When a plant 'goes to seed', it has finished flowering and is now producing seeds.

2. To open up produce such as a melon, pepper, or cucumber and take out its inner s

2.動詞及物B1
釋義

To open up produce such as a melon, pepper, or cucumber and take out its inner seeds before cooking or serving.

例句

Hannah seeded the watermelon before cutting it into small cubes for the fruit salad.

transitive: seed + fruit

You should seed the jalapeño peppers if you prefer a milder salsa.

同義詞
  • deseed

    less common but sometimes used in recipe writing

文法句型

seed + fruit/vegetable

用法筆記

Common in recipe instructions. Some fruits (watermelon, pomegranate) take more time to seed than others (bell peppers, cucumbers).

常見錯誤

❌I seeded the field' (when you meant removing seeds from fruit).
✅I seeded the watermelon.
💡The same verb seed has a very different meaning with a field (sow) vs. a fruit (remove seeds); context and direct object make the meaning clear.

3. To put seeds into the ground so that plants will grow there.

3.動詞及物B1
釋義

To put seeds into the ground so that plants will grow there.

例句

Vivek seeded the empty vegetable patch with carrots and radishes last weekend.

seed + area + with + crop

The farmers seeded the hillside fields with barley just before the rainy season.

同義詞
  • sow

    more common in everyday English for scattering seeds by hand or machine

  • plant

    general term for putting seeds or young plants into the ground

反義詞

文法句型

seed + land/area + with + crop

seed + land/area

用法筆記

In everyday speech, sow or plant is more common than seed as a verb for putting seeds in the ground. Seed is more frequent in agricultural or formal writing.

常見錯誤

❌I seeded the tomatoes' (when you mean planted tomato seeds).
✅I seeded the field with tomatoes.
💡The verb seed takes the land as its object, not the crop itself.

4. To make a feeling, idea, or situation begin to appear and gradually grow.

4.動詞及物B2
釋義

To make a feeling, idea, or situation begin to appear and gradually grow.

例句

The journalist's report seeded doubt about the safety of the new vaccine.

figurative: seed + doubt

Elena's encouragement seeded a lasting passion for marine biology in the young student.

同義詞
  • plant

    more common; 'plant an idea' is everyday English while 'seed an idea' is rarer and more literary

  • sow

    same agricultural metaphor, slightly more formal; 'sow the seeds of doubt' is a fixed expression

  • spark

    suggests a sudden, immediate reaction rather than gradual growth

反義詞
  • quash

    to stop something from developing

  • stifle

    to prevent something from growing

文法句型

seed + abstract noun (doubt, suspicion, fear, idea, passion)

用法筆記

Frequently used with negative outcomes (doubt, suspicion, distrust) but also with positive ones (passion, curiosity, hope). The metaphor comes from planting a seed that grows slowly.

常見錯誤

❌The news seeded panic immediately.' — seed suggests gradual growth, so it sounds odd with 'immediately'.
✅The news sparked panic immediately.' or 'The news seeded a slow-growing panic.
💡use spark for sudden reactions, seed for gradual ones.

5. To give a player or team a particular rank in a competition, arranged so that th

5.動詞及物B2
釋義

To give a player or team a particular rank in a competition, arranged so that the strongest competitors meet only in later stages of the tournament.

例句

Christopher was seeded fourth in the national squash championships this year.

passive: be seeded + rank

The defending champion is always seeded at the top of the tournament draw.

同義詞
  • rank

    broader term used in any ranking system, not only sports tournaments

文法句型

be seeded + rank + in + tournament/competition

用法筆記

Almost always used in the passive voice. The opposite is 'unseeded' (not given a seed). Past participle 'seeded' as an adjective is also common: 'the top-seeded player'.

常見錯誤

❌The coach seeded the player.' (without a rank).
✅The coach seeded the player third in the tournament.
💡You must state what rank or position the player received.

6. To spread chemical substances into clouds so that the clouds release rain or sno

6.動詞及物C1
釋義

To spread chemical substances into clouds so that the clouds release rain or snow.

例句

The government funded a project to seed clouds during the long dry season.

technical: cloud seeding project

Scientists seeded the clouds with silver iodide to bring rain to the drought-stricken region.

seed + clouds + with + chemical

文法句型

seed + clouds + with + chemical

cloud seeding (noun phrase)

用法筆記

Most commonly appears in the compound noun 'cloud seeding'. The verb is used in technical or news reporting about weather modification.

常見錯誤

❌They seeded the clouds to make it rain.' (acceptable in casual speech but imprecise). For a more natural phrasing:
✅They carried out cloud seeding to increase rainfall.
💡The noun phrase 'cloud seeding' is more common than the verb in everyday use.