bestow

verb

be·​stow bi-ˈstō How to pronounce bestow (audio)
bē-
bestowed; bestowing; bestows

transitive verb

1
: to put to use : apply
bestowed his spare time on study
2
: to put in a particular or appropriate place : stow
bestowed in her car … by the chauffeur.Frances Towers
… the whole cargo was bestowedR. L. Stevenson
3
: to provide with quarters : put up
bestowed Clotilde in lodgings of her own.Rayner Heppenstall
4
: to convey as a gift
usually used with on or upon
The university bestowed an honorary degree upon her.
bestowal noun
bestower noun
Choose the Right Synonym for bestow

give, present, donate, bestow, confer, afford mean to convey to another as a possession.

give, the general term, is applicable to any passing over of anything by any means.

give alms
gave her a ride on a pony
give my love to your mother

present carries a note of formality and ceremony.

present an award

donate is likely to imply a publicized giving (as to charity).

donate a piano to the orphanage

bestow implies the conveying of something as a gift and may suggest condescension on the part of the giver.

bestow unwanted advice

confer implies a gracious giving (as of a favor or honor).

confer an honorary degree

afford implies a giving or bestowing usually as a natural or legitimate consequence of the character of the giver.

the trees afford shade
a development that affords us some hope

Examples of bestow in a Sentence

The university bestowed on her an honorary degree. bestowed a new car on their son for graduation
Recent Examples on the Web Angolan model Maria Borges, who has been outspoken about embracing natural beauty, bestowed the SFA Biodiversity & Water Award to the Lenzing Group, represented by CEO Rohit Aggarwal and Italy’s business manager Carlo Covini, for promoting glacial preservation through circular textiles. Luisa Zargani, WWD, 23 Sep. 2024 Having previously bestowed billions on David and his sister, Megan, Larry has now backed his son to the tune of $6 billion as David pursued his dream of running a legacy studio. Kim Masters, The Hollywood Reporter, 19 Sep. 2024 While few are recognized for their exceptional contributions in the competitive world of financial planning, in Arizona, an LPL Financial Award has been bestowed upon founder Kyle Richardson and his team at Watermark Wealth Strategies. Tyler Shepherd, The Arizona Republic, 14 Sep. 2024 Instead, that honor was bestowed upon the AirPods 4—Apple’s cheapest AirPods at $129, and now with the option of noise cancellation for an additional $50. Verity Burns, WIRED, 13 Sep. 2024 See all Example Sentences for bestow 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'bestow.' 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

Middle English, from be- + stowe place — more at stow

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of bestow was in the 14th century

Cite this Entry

“Bestow.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bestow. Accessed 6 Oct. 2024.

Kids Definition

bestow

verb
be·​stow bi-ˈstō How to pronounce bestow (audio)
: to present as a gift
bestowal noun
bestower noun

More from Merriam-Webster on bestow

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