Seat

/siːt/ name, noun, verb, slang

name, noun, verb, slang ·Very common ·Middle school level

Meaning at a glance

  • Primary sense: Something to be sat upon.
  • Grammar: seat is listed as name, noun, verb, slang.
  • Nearest alternatives: place, abiding place, abode, accommodate.
  • Useful contrasts: bumping, depose, dethroning.
  • Usage evidence: As the plane was approaching turbulence, the pilot asked the passengers aboard the plane to fasten their seat belts.

How to use "seat"

  1. Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
  2. Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "seat" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
  3. Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.

Meaning check

  • Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
  • Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
  • Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
  • Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?

Source and review context

This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "seat" in a final draft.

If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.

Before you rely on this definition

Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "seat" as the right word for your sentence.

If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "seat" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.

Compare nearby meanings

  • Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
  • Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
  • Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
  • Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.

Definition decision workflow

1. Identify the role

Check whether "seat" is acting as name, noun, verb, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.

2. Test the nearest option

Compare it with "place" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.

3. Confirm with context

Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.

Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.

Final meaning check

Before publishing a sentence with "seat", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.

When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    Something to be sat upon.

    "Several pressmen have nearly lost their lives, to say nothing of the seats of their trousers, from these creatures."

  2. 2
    Acronym of single-engine air tanker. US, abbreviation, acronym, alt-of
  3. 3
    An automobile from Sociedad Española de Automóviles de Turismo
  4. 4
    any support where you can sit (especially the part of a chair or bench etc. on which you sit) wordnet
  5. 5
    Something to be sat upon.; A place in which to sit.

    "There are two hundred seats in this classroom."

Show 23 more definitions
  1. 6
    furniture that is designed for sitting on wordnet
  2. 7
    Something to be sat upon.; The horizontal portion of a chair or other furniture designed for sitting.

    "He sat on the arm of the chair rather than the seat, which always annoyed his mother."

  3. 8
    the cloth covering for the buttocks wordnet
  4. 9
    Something to be sat upon.; A piece of furniture made for sitting, such as a chair, stool, or bench; any improvised place for sitting.

    "She pulled the seat from under the table to allow him to sit down."

  5. 10
    a part of a machine that supports or guides another part wordnet
  6. 11
    Something to be sat upon.; A piece of furniture made for sitting, such as a chair, stool, or bench; any improvised place for sitting.; An ejection seat. slang

    "Hey, fighter boy, our radar's putting out enough energy to launch your seat from this distance!"

  7. 12
    the legal right to sit as a member in a legislative or similar body wordnet
  8. 13
    Something to be sat upon.; The part of an object or individual (usually the buttocks) directly involved in sitting.

    "Instead of saying "sit down", she said "place your seat on this chair"."

  9. 14
    the fleshy part of the human body that you sit on wordnet
  10. 15
    Something to be sat upon.; The part of a piece of clothing (usually pants or trousers) covering the buttocks.

    "The seat of these trousers is almost worn through."

  11. 16
    the location (metaphorically speaking) where something is based wordnet
  12. 17
    Something to be sat upon.; A part or surface on which another part or surface rests.

    "The seat of the valve had become corroded."

  13. 18
    a space reserved for sitting (as in a theater or on a train or airplane) wordnet
  14. 19
    A location or site.; A membership in an organization, particularly a representative body. figuratively

    "Our neighbor has a seat at the stock exchange and in congress."

  15. 20
    a center of authority (as a city from which authority is exercised) wordnet
  16. 21
    A location or site.; The location of a governing body.

    "Washington D.C. is the seat of the U.S. government."

  17. 22
    A location or site.; An electoral district, especially for a national legislature.
  18. 23
    A location or site.; A temporary residence, such as a country home or a hunting lodge.

    "A man of fortune, who lives in London, may, in plays, operas, routs, assemblies, French cookery, French sauces, and French wines, spend as much yearly, as he could do, were he to live in the most hospitable manner at his seat in the country."

  19. 24
    A location or site.; The place occupied by anything, or where any person, thing or quality is situated or resides; a site.

    "Where thou dwellest, even where Satan's seat is."

  20. 25
    A location or site.; One of a series of departmental placements given to a trainee solicitor as part of their training contract. England, Wales
  21. 26
    A location or site.; Any of several autonomous regions in the medieval Kingdom of Hungary. historical
  22. 27
    The starting point of a fire.
  23. 28
    Posture, or way of sitting, on horseback.

    "She had so good a seat and hand she might be trusted with any mount."

Verb
  1. 1
    To put an object into a place where it will rest; to fix; to set firm. transitive

    "Be sure to seat the gasket properly before attaching the cover."

  2. 2
    show to a seat; assign a seat for wordnet
  3. 3
    To provide with a place to sit. transitive

    "This classroom seats two hundred students."

  4. 4
    place in or on a seat wordnet
  5. 5
    To request or direct one or more persons to sit. transitive

    "Please seat the audience after the anthem and then introduce the first speaker."

Show 11 more definitions
  1. 6
    place or attach firmly in or on a base wordnet
  2. 7
    To recognize the standing of a person or persons by providing them with one or more seats which would allow them to participate fully in a meeting or session. transitive

    "Only half the delegates from the state were seated at the convention because the state held its primary too early."

  3. 8
    provide with seats wordnet
  4. 9
    To assign the seats of. transitive

    "to seat a church"

  5. 10
    put a seat on a chair wordnet
  6. 11
    To cause to occupy a post, site, or situation; to station; to establish; to fix; to settle. transitive

    "This valve isn't seating properly."

  7. 12
    place ceremoniously or formally in an office or position wordnet
  8. 13
    To rest; to lie down. intransitive, obsolete

    "The folds, where sheepe at night doe seat."

  9. 14
    be able to seat wordnet
  10. 15
    To settle; to plant with inhabitants.

    "to seat a country"

  11. 16
    To put a seat or bottom in. transitive

    "to seat a chair"

Proper Noun
  1. 1
    Sociedad Española de Automóviles de Turismo, a Spanish automobile manufacturer.
  2. 2
    A surname.

Synonyms

All synonyms
placeabiding placeabodeaccommodateaddressangle

Example

"As the plane was approaching turbulence, the pilot asked the passengers aboard the plane to fasten their seat belts."

Common questions

What does "seat" mean?

Something to be sat upon.

What is a synonym for "seat"?

Common synonyms include: place, abiding place, abode, accommodate, address, angle.

How do you use "seat" in a sentence?

As the plane was approaching turbulence, the pilot asked the passengers aboard the plane to fasten their seat belts.

How do you pronounce "seat"?

Pronounced /siːt/.

Etymology

Etymology 1

From Middle English sete, from Old English sǣte, possibly from (or simply cognate with) Old Norse sæti (“seat”), both from Proto-Germanic *sētiją (“seat”), from Proto-Indo-European *sed- (“to sit”); compare Old English set (“seat”). Noun sense 2 (“location or site”) is probably derived from Old English sǣte (“house”), which is related to Old High German sāza (“sedan, seat, domicile”). Cognates * Middle Dutch gesaete * Old High German gisazi (modern German Gesäß)

Etymology 2

Perhaps a variant of Sait.

More for "seat"

Synonyms

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