seat

/sit/

/sit/

Other forms: seated; seats; seating

Something you can sit on, especially if it's a bench, stool, sofa, or chair, is a seat. Most bicycles have one seat, while many motorcycles have two seats.

If your teacher invites you to "Take a seat," he means "Find a chair and sit in it." There are seats in cars and airplanes, around tables, in restaurants, and in movie theaters. As a verb, seat means "help someone find a place to sit," the way an usher seats audience members at a concert. Some people also use seat to mean "bottom" or "buttocks," or the section of your pants that covers this body part.

Definitions of seat

1. noun

   any support where you can sit (especially the part of a chair or bench etc. on which you sit)
   “he dusted off the seat before sitting down”

   types:

   backbench

   any of the seats occupied by backbenchers in the House of Commons

   backseat

   a seat at the back of a vehicle (especially the seat at the back of an automobile)

   balloon seat, bell seat

   a seat that has a bell shape (on some 18th century chairs)

   bicycle seat, saddle

   a seat for the rider of a bicycle

   boatswain's chair, bosun's chair

   a seat consisting of a board and a rope; used while working aloft or over the side of a ship

   bucket seat

   a low single seat as in cars or planes

   car seat

   a seat in a car

   chair

   a particular seat in an orchestra

   cockpit

   seat where the driver sits while driving a racing car

   crossbench

   any of the seats in the House of Commons used by members who do not vote regularly with either the government or the Opposition

   capsule, ejection seat, ejector seat

   a pilot's seat in an airplane that can be forcibly ejected in the case of an emergency; then the pilot descends by parachute

   front bench

   any of the front seats in the House of Commons that are reserved for ministers or former ministers

   houdah, howdah

   a (usually canopied) seat for riding on the back of a camel or elephant

   jump seat

   a folding seat in an automobile

   pillion

   a seat behind the rider of a horse or motorbike etc.

   plane seat

   a seat on a commercial airliner

   rumble

   a servant's seat (or luggage compartment) in the rear of a carriage

   rumble seat

   a folding outside seat in the back of some early cars

   saddle

   a seat for the rider of a horse or camel

   saddle seat

   a chair seat that is slightly concave and sometimes has a thickened ridge in the center

   sliding seat

   rower's seat that slides fore and aft

   death seat

   the car seat beside the driver of an automobile; believed to be the most dangerous place to sit in a car in case of an accident

   dickey, dickey-seat, dickie, dickie-seat, dicky, dicky-seat

   a small third seat in the back of an old-fashioned two-seater

   English cavalry saddle, English saddle

   a saddle having a steel cantle and pommel and no horn

   packsaddle

   a saddle for pack animals to which loads can be attached

   sidesaddle

   a saddle for a woman; rider sits with both feet on the same side of the horse

   Western saddle, stock saddle

   an ornamented saddle used by cowboys; has a high horn to hold the lariat

   type of:

   support

   any device that bears the weight of another thing
2. noun

   a space reserved for sitting (as in a theater or on a train or airplane)
   “he booked their seats in advance”

   synonyms: place

   types:

   perch

   an elevated place serving as a seat

   type of:

   space

   an area reserved for some particular purpose
3. noun

   furniture that is designed for sitting on
   “there were not enough seats for all the guests”

   examples:

   Siege Perilous

   the legendary seat at King Arthur's Round Table reserved for the knight who would find the Holy Grail; it was fatal for anyone else to sit in it

   types:

   bench

   a long seat for more than one person

   bench

   (law) the seat for judges in a courtroom

   box, box seat

   the driver's seat on a coach

   box seat

   a special seat in a theater or grandstand box

   chair

   a seat for one person, with a support for the back

   hassock, ottoman, pouf, pouffe, puff

   thick cushion used as a seat

   couch, lounge, sofa

   an upholstered seat for more than one person

   stool

   a simple seat without a back or arms

   toilet seat

   the hinged seat on a toilet

   armchair

   chair with a support on each side for arms

   banquette

   an upholstered bench

   barber chair

   a large fixed adjustable chair in which barbers seat their customers

   campstool

   a folding stool

   chair of state

   a ceremonial chair for an exalted or powerful person

   chaise, chaise longue, chaise lounge, daybed

   a long chair; for reclining

   convertible, sofa bed

   a sofa that can be converted into a bed

   cutty stool

   a low stool; formerly in Scotland, a seat in a church where an offender was publicly rebuked

   daybed, divan bed

   an armless couch; a seat by day and a bed by night

   divan

   a long backless sofa (usually with pillows against a wall)

   Eames chair

   a chair designed by Charles Eames; originally made of molded plywood; seat and back shaped to fit the human body

   fighting chair

   a fixed chair from which a saltwater angler can fight a hooked fish

   flat bench

   a bench on which a weightlifter lies to do exercises

   folding chair

   a chair that can be folded flat for storage

   footrest, footstool, ottoman, tuffet

   a low seat or a stool to rest the feet of a seated person

   feeding chair, highchair

   a chair for feeding a very young child; has four long legs and a footrest and a detachable tray

   ladder-back, ladder-back chair

   a chair with a ladder-back

   garden chair, lawn chair

   chair left outside for use on a lawn or in a garden

   love seat, loveseat, tete-a-tete, vis-a-vis

   small sofa that seats two people

   milking stool

   low three-legged stool with a half round seat; used to sit on while milking a cow

   music stool, piano stool

   a stool for piano players; usually adjustable in height

   park bench

   a bench in a public park

   penalty box

   (ice hockey) an enclosed bench to the side of an ice-hockey rink for players who are serving time penalties

   church bench, pew

   long bench with backs; used in church by the congregation

   prie-dieu

   low bench for kneeling on

   rocker, rocking chair

   a chair mounted on rockers

   settee

   a small sofa

   settee, settle

   a long wooden bench with a back

   squab

   a soft padded sofa

   step stool

   a stool that has one or two steps that fold under the seat

   side chair, straight chair

   a straight-backed chair without arms

   swivel chair

   a chair that swivels on its base

   tablet-armed chair

   a chair with an arm that has been widened for writing

   taboret, tabouret

   a low stool in the shape of a drum

   wheelchair

   a movable chair mounted on large wheels; for invalids or those who cannot walk; frequently propelled by the occupant

   window seat

   a bench or similar seat built into a window recess

   type of:

   article of furniture, furniture, piece of furniture

   furnishings that make a room or other area ready for occupancy
4. verb

   show to a seat; assign a seat for
   “The host seated me next to Mrs. Smith”

   synonyms: sit, sit down

   sit, sit down

   be seated

   types:

   reseat

   show to a different seat

   type of:

   lay, place, pose, position, put, set

   put into a certain place or abstract location
5. verb

   place in or on a seat
   “the mother seated the toddler on the high chair”

   type of:

   lay, place, pose, position, put, set

   put into a certain place or abstract location
6. verb

   be able to seat
   “The theater seats 2,000”

   type of:

   accommodate, admit, hold

   have room for; hold without crowding
7. verb

   provide with seats
   “seat a concert hall”

   types:

   reseat

   provide with new seats

   type of:

   furnish, provide, render, supply

   give something useful or necessary to
8. verb

   put a seat on a chair
   types:

   reseat

   provide with a new seat

   type of:

   furnish, provide, render, supply

   give something useful or necessary to
9. noun

   the fleshy part of the human body that you sit on
   synonyms: ass, backside, behind, bottom, bum, buns, butt, buttocks, can, derriere, fanny, fundament, hind end, hindquarters, keister, nates, posterior, prat, rear, rear end, rump, stern, tail, tail end, tooshie, tush

   type of:

   body part

   any part of an organism such as an organ or extremity
10. noun

    the cloth covering for the buttocks
    “the seat of his pants was worn through”

    type of:

    cloth covering

    a covering made of cloth
11. noun

    the location (metaphorically speaking) where something is based
    “the brain is said to be the seat of reason”

    type of:

    location

    a point or extent in space
12. noun

    a center of authority (as a city from which authority is exercised)
    types:

    capital

    a seat of government

    county courthouse, county seat

    the town or city that is the seat of government for a county

    county town, shire town

    the town or city that is the seat of government for a shire

    see

    the seat within a bishop's diocese where his cathedral is located

    national capital

    the capital city of a nation

    provincial capital

    the capital city of a province

    state capital

    the capital city of a political subdivision of a country

    type of:

    center, centre, eye, heart, middle

    an area that is approximately central within some larger region
13. noun

    a part of a machine that supports or guides another part
    type of:

    part, portion

    something less than the whole of a human artifact
14. verb

    place or attach firmly in or on a base
    “seat the camera on the tripod”

    type of:

    lay, place, pose, position, put, set

    put into a certain place or abstract location
15. noun

    the legal right to sit as a member in a legislative or similar body
    “he was elected to a seat in the Senate”

    type of:

    legal right

    a right based in law
16. verb

    place ceremoniously or formally in an office or position
    synonyms: induct, invest

    type of:

    instal, install

    put into an office or a position