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Definition of seat verb from the Oxford Advanced American Dictionary

     

    seat

     verb
    verb
    NAmE//sit//
     
    Verb Forms present simple I / you / we / they seat
     
     he / she / it seats
     
     past simple seated
     
     -ing form seating
     
     
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    sit down
  1. 1seat somebody/yourself (formal) to give someone a place to sit; to sit down in a place Please wait to be seated (= in a restaurant, etc.). Please be seated (= sit down). He seated himself behind the desk. Thesaurussit
    • sit down
    • be seated
    • have/take a seat
    • perch
    These words all mean to rest your weight on your bottom with your back upright, for example on a chair.
    • sit to rest your weight on your bottom with your back upright, for example on a chair:May I sit here? Sit still, will you! Sit is usually used with an adverb or a prepositional phrase to show where or how someone sits, but sometimes another phrase or clause is used to show what someone does while they are sitting:We sat talking for hours.
    • sit down to move from a standing position to a sitting position:Please sit down.
    • be seated (formal) to be sitting:She was seated at the head of the table. Be seated is often used as a formal way of inviting someone to sit down:Please be seated.
    • have/take a seat to sit down Have/Take a seat is used especially as a polite way of inviting someone to sit down:Please have a seat.
    • perch (somewhat informal) to sit on something, especially on the edge of something:She perched herself on the edge of the bed. Perch is always used with an adverb or prepositional phrase to show where someone is perching.
    Patterns
    • to sit/sit down/be seated/have a seat/take a seat/perch on something
    • to sit/sit down/be seated/have a seat/take a seat in something
    2. of building/vehicle
  2. 2seat somebody to have enough seats for a particular number of people The aircraft seats 200 passengers. The auditorium can seat an audience of 5,000.
    3. Thesaurussit
    • sit down
    • be seated
    • have/take a seat
    • perch
    These words all mean to rest your weight on your bottom with your back upright, for example on a chair.
    • sit to rest your weight on your bottom with your back upright, for example on a chair:May I sit here? Sit still, will you! Sit is usually used with an adverb or a prepositional phrase to show where or how someone sits, but sometimes another phrase or clause is used to show what someone does while they are sitting:We sat talking for hours.
    • sit down to move from a standing position to a sitting position:Please sit down.
    • be seated (formal) to be sitting:She was seated at the head of the table. Be seated is often used as a formal way of inviting someone to sit down:Please be seated.
    • have/take a seat to sit down Have/Take a seat is used especially as a polite way of inviting someone to sit down:Please have a seat.
    • perch (somewhat informal) to sit on something, especially on the edge of something:She perched herself on the edge of the bed. Perch is always used with an adverb or prepositional phrase to show where someone is perching.
    Patterns
    • to sit/sit down/be seated/have a seat/take a seat/perch on something
    • to sit/sit down/be seated/have a seat/take a seat in something
See seat in the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary
Check pronunciation: seat

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