seat
gb/sˈit/ us/sˈit/
A1
English
~ 1000
Senses
0 senses
Noun
A1
entity
1
place to sit
a place or thing that you sit on
Usage pattern:
a seat; an empty/free seat; a seat on/in something
Common mistake:
Do not confuse the noun seat with the verb sit: say "I found a seat" but "I sat down."
Themes
countable
|everyday
|transport
|furniture
Examples
- There were no empty seats on the train.
Learner examples
- Please put your bag under the seat.
Noun
A2
entity
2
reserved or assigned place
a place to sit that you have booked or been given
Usage pattern:
book/reserve/get a seat; seat number; window/aisle seat
Themes
countable
|travel
|entertainment
|booking
Examples
- We booked two seats for the concert.
Learner examples
- Your seat is 12A.
Verb
B1
action
3
show to a seat
to put someone in a place where they can sit
Usage pattern:
seat someone; be seated near/by/at something
Common mistake:
Seat someone is usually transitive: "The host seated us," not "The host seated."
Themes
transitive
|hospitality
|event
Examples
- The host seated us near the window.
Learner examples
- Guests will be seated in order of arrival.
Verb
B1
ability
4
have capacity for
to have room for a particular number of people to sit
Usage pattern:
seat + number; seat up to + number + people
Themes
transitive
|capacity
|numbers
Examples
- The dining room seats 80 people.
Learner examples
- This car seats seven.
Verb
formal
B1
action
5
sit down
to sit down; this is often used formally as "be seated"
Usage pattern:
be seated; seat oneself + place
Common mistake:
In everyday English, use "sit down" for the simple action. "Be seated" is more formal or official.
Themes
reflexive
|passive
|formal
Examples
- Please be seated.
Learner examples
- She seated herself at the desk.
Noun
B1
entity
6
part of a chair
the flat part of a chair that supports your body when you sit
Usage pattern:
the seat of a chair/stool; a wooden/padded seat
Themes
countable
|furniture
|part
Examples
- The chair has a wooden seat.
Learner examples
- The seat of the stool was cracked.
Noun
B2
role
7
position in official body
a position as a member of an official group, especially one that people vote for
Usage pattern:
win/lose/gain/hold a seat; a seat in/on something
Themes
countable
|politics
|organization
Examples
- The party gained five seats in the election.
Learner examples
- She has a seat on the city council.
Noun
formal
B2
entity
8
official center
the main official place of a government, institution, or organization
Usage pattern:
the seat of government/power; legal/official seat
Themes
formal
|government
|organization
|location
Examples
- The city is the seat of the state government.
Learner examples
- The company moved its legal seat to Dublin.
Noun
formal
C1
abstract
9
source or center
the place where something important is thought to be based or produced
Usage pattern:
the seat of + abstract noun/condition
Themes
formal
|abstract
|source
Examples
- Some philosophers described the heart as the seat of emotion.
Learner examples
- The area became the seat of the infection.
Verb
technical
C1
action
10
fit firmly
to put a part firmly in the right position
Usage pattern:
seat something in/on something; be properly/fully seated
Themes
technical
|transitive
|engineering
Examples
- Make sure the cable is fully seated in the connector.
Learner examples
- The valve must be seated correctly to prevent leaks.
Verb
formal
C1
action
11
install as member
to officially make someone a member of a council, parliament, committee, or similar group
Usage pattern:
seat someone as something; be seated in/on a body
Themes
formal
|politics
|organization
|transitive
Examples
- The court ordered that the elected delegate be seated.
Learner examples
- New members will be seated at the first meeting.
Noun
B2
entity
12
part of trousers
the back part of trousers or pants that covers the part of the body you sit on
Usage pattern:
the seat of trousers/pants/jeans
Themes
clothing
|countable
|part
Examples
- The seat of his trousers was covered in dust.
Learner examples
- These jeans are worn at the seat.
Noun
informal
C1
entity
13
buttocks
a humorous or old-fashioned word for a person's bottom
Usage pattern:
fall/land on one's seat
Common mistake:
This use can sound humorous or old-fashioned; in neutral everyday English, use "bottom" or "buttocks" depending on formality.
Themes
body_part
|euphemistic
|humorous
|low_frequency
Examples
- He slipped on the ice and landed on his seat.
Learner examples
- The child fell backward onto his seat.
Grammar
Dictionary form
seat
IPA
GB/sˈit/
US/sˈit/
Syllables & stress
seat (1 syllable)
Stress on 1st syllable (seat)
Word forms
Noun
- Base: seat
- Plural: seats
Word family
Forms
seats
noun
Core family
seating
noun
seated
adjective
Related words
seatbelt
noun
Negative and opposite forms
unseat
verb
Expressions
car seat
4/kˈɑɹ sˈit/
fixed phrase
child safety seat
a safety seat for a baby or child in a car
Examples
- They installed the car seat before bringing the baby home.
- Children must use a car seat until they are old enough for a regular seat belt.
- The car seat was too small for their three-year-old.
have a seat
2/hˈæv ə sˈit/
fixed phrase
invitation to sit
used to say politely that someone can sit down
Examples
- Come in and have a seat.
- Have a seat while I print the documents.
- The receptionist smiled and said, “Please have a seat.”
in the driver's seat
5/ˈɪn ðə dɹˈaɪvɚz sˈit/
idiom
in control
having control or power in a situation
Examples
- After the merger, the new CEO was clearly in the driver’s seat.
- A strong early lead put their team in the driver’s seat.
- With the final decision in her hands, Maria was in the driver’s seat.
in the hot seat
7/ˈɪn ðə hˈɑt sˈit/
idiom
under pressure
in a situation where people are asking you difficult questions or blaming you
Examples
- The minister was in the hot seat after the report was released.
- During the interview, I felt like I was in the hot seat.
- The coach is in the hot seat after three straight losses.
on the edge of one's seat
4/ˈɔn ðə ˈɛd͡ʒ əv wˈʌnz sˈit/
idiom
extremely excited or nervous waiting
Feeling very excited or nervous because you are waiting for something to happen.
Examples
- The movie kept me on the edge of my seat until the very end.
- She was on the edge of her seat during the entire match.
on the edge of one's seat
6/ˈɔn ðə ˈɛd͡ʒ əv wˈʌnz sˈit/
idiom
excited with suspense
so excited or nervous that you want to know what happens next
Examples
- The final episode kept us on the edge of our seats.
- It was a thrilling match, and the crowd was on the edge of its seat.
- Her story had everyone on the edge of their seats.
seat belt
3/sˈit bˈɛlt/
fixed phrase
safety strap
a safety belt in a car or plane
Examples
- Fasten your seat belt before we start driving.
- The seat belt sign is on, so please stay in your seat.
- She was wearing a seat belt when the accident happened.
take a back seat
8/tˈeɪk ə bˈæk sˈit/
idiom
become less important
to become less important or let someone or something else be more important
Examples
- During the crisis, personal plans had to take a back seat.
- He took a back seat in the family business after his daughter became CEO.
- Health should not take a back seat to work.
take a seat
1/tˈeɪk ə sˈit/
fixed phrase
sit down
to sit down
Examples
- Please take a seat and the doctor will see you shortly.
- Everyone took a seat around the table.
- You can take a seat over there while you wait.