stow

verb

ˈstō 

stowed; stowing; stows

transitive verb

1

: house, lodge

2

a

: to put away for future use : store

b

obsolete : to lock up for safekeeping : confine

3

a

: to dispose in an orderly fashion : arrange, pack

b

: load

4

slang : to put aside : stop

5

a

archaic : crowd

b

: to eat or drink up

—usually used with away

stowed away a huge dinner

Synonyms of stow

• store
• keep

Examples of stow in a Sentence

He stowed his gear in a locker.

Luggage may be stowed under the seat.

Recent Examples on the Web

The former was vented out, while the latter had to be stowed. —Victor Tangermann, Futurism, 2 Apr. 2026

The secondary bedroom, meanwhile, is accessed by a neat folding staircase, like the one seen on the Jordy, that's stowed against the wall when not in use, freeing up space in the living room. —Adam Williams april 02, New Atlas, 2 Apr. 2026

Meanwhile, the astronauts will begin a series of systems checks, stow their launch couches and change out of their space suits into some more comfortable clothing ahead of their first sleep cycle. —Josh Dinner, Space.com, 31 Mar. 2026

After launch, the astronauts will be able to remove and stow two seats until landing day to give them more room to move. —Denise Chow, NBC news, 28 Mar. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, to place, from stowe place, from Old English stōw; akin to Old Frisian stō place, Greek stylos pillar — more at steer

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing stow

• stow away

Rhymes for stow

• beau
• beaux
• blow
• boe
• bro
• coe
• crow
• doe
• doh
• dough
• eau
• eaux

Kids Definition

stow

verb

ˈstō 

1

: to put away : store

stowed their belongings in the closet

2

a

: arrange sense 1, pack

quickly stowed the cargo

b

: load entry 2 sense 1a

stowed the ships to capacity

3

: to eat or drink up

stow away a meal

Geographical Definition

Stow

geographical name

ˈstō 

city in northeastern Ohio northeast of Akron population 34,837

Biographical Definition

Stow

biographical name

ˈstō 

John 1525–1605 English historian and antiquarian