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 sink, for example, was part of an extra-long counter along one of the walls, offering plenty of extra room to stow my skincare and travel essentials. — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 4 Oct. 2026

Officers are trained never to rule out the possibility that someone who could kill them is stowed like a spare tire in an unlatched rear compartment. — Sophie Landres, Artforum, 1 Oct. 2026

Instead of relying on the convertible dinette to sleep, Wagner will enjoy sleeping on the unit's drop-down bed, which stows near the ceiling over the dinette during the day. — New Atlas, 10 Sep. 2026

After responding to an early morning call this particular day, most of the crew heads to the back of the station to stow their gear or upstairs to help prepare lunch. — Philip Marcelo, Los Angeles Times, 9 Sep. 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
• beaut
• beaux
• blow
• 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

Biographical Definition

Stow

biographical name

ˈstō 

John 1525–1605 English historian and antiquarian