steward

1 of 2

noun

stew·​ard ˈstü-ərd How to pronounce steward (audio)
ˈstyü-;
ˈst(y)u̇rd
1
: one employed in a large household or estate to manage domestic concerns (such as the supervision of servants, collection of rents, and keeping of accounts)
2
3
: a fiscal agent
4
a
: an employee on a ship, airplane, bus, or train who manages the provisioning of food and attends passengers
b
: one appointed to supervise the provision and distribution of food and drink in an institution
5
: one who actively directs affairs : manager

steward

2 of 2

verb

stewarded; stewarding; stewards

transitive verb

: to act as a steward for : manage

intransitive verb

: to perform the duties of a steward

Examples of steward in a Sentence

Noun the steward of their investments teaching our children to be good stewards of the land the steward of the estate The race stewards are reviewing the results. Verb will steward the city's library programs
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
The actress moved to Olympia, Wash. in the 1970s, working for the Evergreen State’s Department of Ecology as a steward of clean water. Wesley Stenzel, EW.com, 29 Feb. 2024 Data steward roles must expand their ability to provide domain expertise, taking on new roles as the arbitrators of accurate insight generation. Forrester, Forbes, 29 Feb. 2024 The program in collaboration with Apache tribes, the Forest Service and Northern Arizona University has identified priority oak groves to steward. The Arizona Republic, 29 Feb. 2024 The charge of correcting these historical injustices now falls to 21st-century stewards. Ellen Wexler, Smithsonian Magazine, 22 Feb. 2024 Fears prepared for deployment in the closing months of the war as a steward assistant, according to military records. Graham Womack, Sacramento Bee, 22 Feb. 2024 That has been a popular mantra for Hoosiers wanting to be better stewards of the environment, but the primary focus for most people has been on recycling. Karl Schneider, The Indianapolis Star, 19 Feb. 2024 The role of local government is to make our city the very best place to live for our residents and be good stewards of our limited resources. Sam Kmack, The Arizona Republic, 10 Feb. 2024 The organization, with the help of its volunteer trail stewards, has already mapped all 60 miles of the park’s trails, and will use the data to inform the plan, Babcock said. Jennifer Van Grove, San Diego Union-Tribune, 6 Feb. 2024
Verb
For these institutions, part of the way forward now must be a return to civics and civic education to prepare the next generation to steward the American experiment. Justin Dyer, National Review, 6 Jan. 2024 Sunday, the Orioles clinched their first playoff berth since 2016, the culmination of a rebuilding process that fully launched in the winter of 2018 when Mike Elias was brought in as executive vice president and general manager and hired Hyde as manager to steward a club designed to struggle. Nathan Ruiz, Baltimore Sun, 17 Sep. 2023 Kennedy helped steward the company’s IPO and now intends to focus on board service. Bysheryl Estrada, Fortune, 6 Sep. 2023 Intelligence agencies and the Pentagon currently steward this data, most of which is not public. Mary Magnuson, Discover Magazine, 15 Aug. 2023 The traditional homeland of the Esselen Tribe of Monterey County, the conservancy plans to partner with the tribe to help steward the land, restore its fish and wildlife, and provide free recreational opportunities to the public. Wendy Bowman, Robb Report, 23 Aug. 2023 Culture and history:Indigenous people find legal, cultural barriers to protect sacred spaces off tribal lands But the Havasupai have continued to fight for their ancestral lands and the right to steward them. Debra Utacia Krol, The Arizona Republic, 9 Aug. 2023 Pueblo people have a continuing relationship with their ancestors and an obligation to steward them. Mary Hudetz, ProPublica, 20 July 2023 By executing a $10M policy, the insurance enabled the client to amend and execute the estate plan to send the $20M to a family foundation - to privatize and steward the family's investment in humanity, locally, without disinheriting the family. Todd Purich, Forbes, 10 Jan. 2023

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

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English, from Old English stīweard, from stī, stig hall, sty + weard ward — more at sty, ward

First Known Use

Noun

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1621, in the meaning defined at transitive sense

Time Traveler
The first known use of steward was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near steward

Cite this Entry

“Steward.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/steward. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

steward

noun
stew·​ard
ˈst(y)ü-ərd,
ˈst(y)u̇(-ə)rd
1
: a manager of a large home, estate, or organization
2
: a person employed to manage the supply and distribution of food and attend the needs of passengers (as on a train, airplane, or ship)
Etymology

Noun

Old English stīweard, literally, "keeper of the hall, keeper of the sty," from stī "hall, sty" and weard "ward, guard, keeper"

Legal Definition

steward

noun
stew·​ard

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