dew

1 of 2

noun

ˈdü How to pronounce dew (audio)
 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 How to pronounce dew (audio)
 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
Also look for a multilayer cushion with a water-resistant bottom to keep dew and wet ground from soaking through and ruining your day. Justin Park, Popular Mechanics, 25 May 2023 The vaporous mist of the morning dew is really the phosphorescence of toxic radiation. Jeff Weiss, Spin, 21 Aug. 2023 This perfume scent reminds me of morning dew on a sunny country day. Kiana Murden, Vogue, 17 Aug. 2023 Common in Maryland lawns, this fungal infection thrives once warm weather arrives (especially warm overnight temps) and only needs moisture from dew or high humidity to infect foliage, so can be prevalent even in a dry year. Miri Talabac, Baltimore Sun, 3 Aug. 2023 The dew on the soccer field is fresh, disrupted only by passes between his daughter and her teammates. Philip Elliott, Time, 25 July 2023 In other words, dew point tells us the temperature the air needs to be cooled to in order to achieve a relative humidity of 100% — or when dew forms — Sellers said. Noor Adatia, Dallas News, 20 June 2023 Each spritz takes you deeper into a garden brimming with tangy citrus and aromatic green leaves that feels like the dew of a crisp spring morning. Nerisha Penrose, ELLE, 10 June 2023 So the microbes have at most a few hours after sunrise to drink the water that has condensed as fog or dew. Zack Savitsky, Quanta Magazine, 12 July 2023 See More

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

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

Dictionary Entries Near dew

Cite this Entry

“Dew.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dew. Accessed 21 Sep. 2023.

Kids Definition

dew

noun
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

More from Merriam-Webster on dew

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