seat
noun
siːt 
siːt place to sit
1 a place where you can sit, for example a chairShe 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: (British English) a ten-seater minibusan all-seater stadium (= in which nobody is allowed to stand)part of chair
3 the part of a chair, etc. on which you actually sita steel chair with a plastic seatin plane/train/theatre
4 a place where you pay to sit in a plane, train, theatre, etcto 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, etca seat on the city council/in Parliament/in Congressto win/lose a seat (= in an election) (British English) 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 seattown/city
6 seat of something (formal) a place where people are involved in a particular activity, especially a city that has a university or the offices of a governmentWashington is the seat of government of the US.a university town renowned as a seat of learningcountry house
7 (also country seat) (both British English) a large house in the country, that belongs to a member of the upper classthe family seat in Norfolkpart of trousers/pants
9 the part of a pair of trousers/pants that covers a person's seatIdioms
(fly) by the seat of your pants
(informal) to act without careful thought and without a plan that you have made in advance, hoping that you will be lucky and be successfulSynonym
wing itbe in the driving seat
(British English) (North American English be in the driver's seat) to be the person in control of a situation
Usage note: sitsit down be seated take a seat perchThese 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 prepositional phrase to show where or how somebody sits, but sometimes another phrase or clause is used to show what somebody does while they are sitting: We sat talking for hours.sit down/sit yourself down to move from a standing position to a sitting position: Please sit down. ◇ Come in and sit yourselves 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 somebody to sit down: Please be seated.take a seat to sit down Take a seat is used especially as a polite way of inviting somebody to sit down: Please take a seat.perch (rather 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 somebody is perching.to sit/sit down/be seated/take a seat/perch on somethingto sit/sit down/be seated/take a seat in something