dew

1 of 2

noun

ˈdü 

 also  ˈdyü

1

meteorology : moisture condensed upon the surfaces of cool bodies especially at night

wet with morning dew

2

: something resembling dew in purity, freshness, or power to refresh

… the golden dew of sleep …

—William Shakespeare

3

: moisture especially when appearing in minute droplets: such as

a

: tears

b

: sweat

c

botany : droplets of water produced by a plant in transpiration

dew transitive verb

dewless

ˈdü-ləs 

 also  ˈdyü-

adjective

DEW

2 of 2

abbreviation

distant early warning

Examples of dew in a Sentence

Noun

The grass was wet with the morning dew.

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Make sure to harvest dill in the morning after any dew has dried and before the heat of the day kicks in. —Karen Brewer Grossman, Southern Living, 5 Sep. 2025

There are drops of dew all over my tip. —Alexandra Schwartz, New Yorker, 25 Aug. 2025

The weather service doesn’t keep dew values in its climate records, but Iowa Environmental Mesonet data shows that the average daily dew point values for Kansas City in July were the fourth highest in the past 50 years. —Kansas City Star, 2 Aug. 2025

Avoid fertilizing in the morning when the grass is wet with dew. —Megan Hughes, Better Homes & Gardens, 28 July 2025

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English, from Old English dēaw; akin to Old High German tou dew, Greek thein to run

First Known Use

Noun

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

Phrases Containing dew

• dew point
• dew worm
• mountain dew

Rhymes for dew

• blew
• blue
• boo
• brew
• chew
• chou
• clue
• coo
• coup
• crew
• cue
• do

Kids Definition

dew

noun

ˈd(y)ü 

1

: moisture that collects on the surfaces of cool bodies at night

2

: something resembling dew in purity, freshness, or power to refresh

dewy

ˈd(y)ü-ē

adjective