seedbed

noun

seed·​bed ˈsēd-ˌbed How to pronounce seedbed (audio)
1
: soil or a bed of soil prepared for planting seed
2
: a place or source of growth or development

Examples of seedbed in a Sentence

a social and political environment that would later become a seedbed of the abolition movement that think tank has served as a seedbed for American conservatism since the Cold War era
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
These clubs served as the seedbeds for the emerging rival Democratic party, which would support Jefferson against Washington’s Federalists. Johann Neem / Made By History, TIME, 2 Jan. 2025 The farmers will also receive instruction in no-till management, which calls for crops to be planted in narrow rows within the untilled seedbeds of previous crops. Delaney Dryfoos, Journal Sentinel, 4 July 2024 The Cultural Revolution created a seedbed for many traditional Chinese and other faiths to spring up after the oppressions ended. Adrian Zenz, Foreign Affairs, 20 June 2018 Even Alexandria, which was one of the seedbeds of Western thought and philosophy in the centuries before and after Christ, is now dominated by Islam, which Goodwin does not see as part of the West. Emma Green, The New Yorker, 11 Mar. 2024 See all Example Sentences for seedbed 

Word History

First Known Use

1618, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Time Traveler
The first known use of seedbed was in 1618

Dictionary Entries Near seedbed

Cite this Entry

“Seedbed.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/seedbed. Accessed 20 Jan. 2025.

Kids Definition

seedbed

noun
seed·​bed ˈsēd-ˌbed How to pronounce seedbed (audio)
: soil or a bed of soil prepared for planting seed

More from Merriam-Webster on seedbed

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