How to Use plant/sow the seeds of in a Sentence

plant/sow the seeds of

idiom
  • The teen’s killing helped plant the seeds of the Black Lives Matter movement.
    BostonGlobe.com, 14 June 2020
  • As these global sicknesses spread, these rulers sow the seeds of their own demise.
    Daniel Twining, WSJ, 6 May 2022
  • Yes, when workers are in the same physical space, their water cooler chats might plant the seeds of big ideas that never would’ve sprouted on Zoom.
    Washington Post, 8 Apr. 2022
  • His successful effort to sow the seeds of doubt about election integrity in the minds of his followers was based on, well, nothing.
    San Diego Union-Tribune, 10 Sep. 2021
  • About 15 people showed up to Sunday’s potluck looking to sow the seeds of friendship — and eat collard greens, smoked turkey, pumpkin pie and chocolate fudge cake.
    Roxana Popescu, San Diego Union-Tribune, 11 Dec. 2023
  • Raza, also weary of conflict, hopes their struggle to carve out space for other species’ survival can sow the seeds of regeneration in Iraq.
    Erica Gies, Discover Magazine, 21 Sep. 2018
  • Artists failed spectacularly to sow the seeds of compassion, to nurture fragile blooms of culture and the fruit of ethical awareness never had a chance to ripen.
    Elsa Keslassy, Variety, 2 Nov. 2023
  • These problems are not solved by armed agents of the state or by prisons, which sow the seeds of more poverty and alienation, while absorbing billions of dollars that might otherwise be spent on public welfare.
    Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor, The New Yorker, 7 May 2021
  • When Fiji’s ants live on and eat the Squamellaria plant, then fertilize it with their poop to sow the seeds of a new crop, the behavior is genetically hard-wired as the product of long evolution.
    Brian Handwerk, Smithsonian Magazine, 17 May 2022
  • Rapid economic growth increases support for the government but can also sow the seeds of democracy.
    Lucan Ahmad Way, Foreign Affairs, 20 June 2023
  • While a startup requires that everyone be willing to step up and do a little bit of everything, a CEO needs to be able to look back and evaluate what's working in order to sow the seeds of future success.
    Rhett Power, Forbes, 5 Feb. 2023
  • Dynastic marriages often sow the seeds of future succession crises.
    National Geographic, 6 Nov. 2020
  • The film covers a lot of ground: how patriarchal societies sow the seeds of violence; the inevitable corruption of power; the possibilities of the collective.
    Laura Adamczyk, Chron, 20 Dec. 2022
  • But living abroad in countries that were rich in natural beauty but otherwise poor also helped sow the seeds of Smith’s ultimate underlying mission for the gear maker.
    Michal Lev-Ram, Fortune, 22 Aug. 2023
  • The National Park Services’ visitor center features exhibits on worker demonstrations that helped plant the seeds of the modern labor movement.
    From Usa Today Network and Wire Reports, USA TODAY, 7 Sep. 2021
  • In addition to familiarizing young people with their products, business could plant the seeds of long-lasting relationships.
    Ariane Lafolie, Fortune, 3 Dec. 2021
  • Organic compounds and water were identified in the sample, and that organic material could have potentially been enough to plant the seeds of life on some fortunate planet.
    Mike Wehner, BGR, 4 Mar. 2021
  • Or, as means of media consumption continue proliferating, sow the seeds of awareness early with a multi-platform blitz while aiming to maximize your buy?
    Gabe Lacques, USA TODAY, 11 Feb. 2022
  • Republican politicians who helped sow the seeds of doubt about Wisconsin election results could determine her fate and reset election dynamics in a state pivotal to the 2024 presidential race.
    Megan O’Matz, ProPublica, 15 June 2023
  • Companies plant the seeds of learning agility by emphasizing goals, experience and perspective.
    Ozlem Sarioglu, Forbes, 10 May 2021

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'plant/sow the seeds of.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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