WILD OAT Definition & Meaning

wild oat

noun

any uncultivated species of Avena, especially a common weedy grass, A. fatua, resembling the cultivated oat.
a hardy plant, Uvularia sessilifolia, of the lily family, of eastern North America, having deep green, hairy leaves and greenish-yellow, tubular flowers.

wild oat

noun

any of several temperate annual grasses of the genus Avena, esp A. fatua, that grow as weeds and have long bristles on their flower spikes

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�y��vlog History and Origins

Origin of wild oat¹

First recorded in 1490–1500

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Idioms and Phrases

sow one's wild oats, to have a youthful fling at reckless and indiscreet behavior, especially to be promiscuous before marriage.

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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

When the ne’er-do-well scion of a Russian oligarch sows his wild oats a little too enthusiastically with New York stripper Ani, some serious people are summoned.

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In the bad, late-'90s cable version of this story, Minda's sowing her wild oats but eventually realizes he's the one, and then they get married and have babies and whatever.

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There's a sexist myth that only men want to sow wild oats, but of course, women also have sexual fantasies.

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After we split, I took a couple of years to “sow my wild oats” and to find out who I am without him.

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In Season 2, Gwen has attempted to sow her wild oats as a D.J. in Bali, and she returns home with a fresh, if not always welcome, perspective.

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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

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