/ siːt; NAmE / noun , verb
■ noun
PLACE TO SIT
1.
a place where you can sit, for example a chair :
She sat back in her seat.
He put his shopping on the seat behind him.
Please take a seat (= sit down) .
Ladies and gentlemen, please take your seats (= sit down) .
a window / corner seat (= one near a window / in a corner)
a child seat (= for a child in a car)
Would you prefer a window seat or an aisle seat ? (= on a plane)
We used the branch of an old tree as a seat.
We all filed back to our seats in silence.
—see also back seat , bucket seat , hot seat , love seat , passenger seat
-SEATER
2.
(in nouns and adjectives) with the number of seats mentioned :
( BrE )
a ten-seater minibus
an all-seater stadium (= in which nobody is allowed to stand)
PART OF CHAIR
3.
the part of a chair, etc. on which you actually sit :
a steel chair with a plastic seat
IN PLANE / TRAIN / THEATRE
4.
a place where you pay to sit in a plane, train, theatre, etc. :
to book / reserve a seat (= for a concert, etc.)
There are no seats left on that flight.
OFFICIAL POSITION
5.
an official position as a member of a parliament, council, committee, etc. :
a seat on the city council / in Parliament / in Congress
to win / lose a seat (= in an election)
( BrE )
to take your seat (= to begin your duties, especially in Parliament)
The majority of seats on the board will be held by business representatives.
—see also safe seat
TOWN / CITY
6.
seat of sth ( formal ) a place where people are involved in a particular activity, especially a city that has a university or the offices of a government :
Washington is the seat of government of the US.
a university town renowned as a seat of learning
COUNTRY HOUSE
7.
(also ˌcountry ˈseat ) (both BrE ) a large house in the country, that belongs to a member of the upper class :
the family seat in Norfolk
PART OF BODY
8.
(especially formal ) the part of the body on which a person sits
SYN buttocks
PART OF TROUSERS / PANTS
9.
the part of a pair of trousers / pants that covers a person's seat
•
IDIOMS
- (fly) by the seat of your pants
- be in the driving seat
—more at back seat , bum noun , edge noun
■ verb
[ vn ]
SIT DOWN
1.
seat (yourself) ( formal ) to give sb 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.
Please remain seated until the aircraft has come to a halt.
The bus can carry 42 seated passengers.
➡ note at sit
OF BUILDING / VEHICLE
2.
to have enough seats for a particular number of people :
The aircraft seats 200 passengers.
••
WORD ORIGIN
Middle English (as a noun): from Old Norse sæti , from the Germanic base of sit . The verb dates from the late 16th cent.