pew

noun

ˈpyü 

1

: a compartment in the auditorium of a church providing seats for several persons

2

: one of the benches with backs and sometimes doors fixed in rows in a church

Examples of pew in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Among them, original gas lighting fixtures from when the sanctuary was completed in 1859, pews carved with ancient Semitic languages including Cursive Hebrew and Ethiopian Amharic Ge'ez, and floorboards drilled with holes that form a triangular pattern. —Brienne Walsh, Forbes.com, 19 May 2025

Inside the cathedral, Amalia Cruzado, 52, silently sobbed in the pews, her arms outstretched. —Caitlin Stephen Hu, CNN Money, 12 May 2025

Hours after Leo made his first formal greeting as the new pope, a crowd of faithful Catholics filled the pews at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, the largest Catholic church in North America. —Christopher Cann, USA Today, 10 May 2025

Scott Olson / Getty Images Over at Holy Name Cathedral, the seat of the Archdiocese of Chicago, some 200 worshippers packed the pews at the 8 a.m. Mass, far more than usual for an early Friday morning. —Nicole Acevedo, NBC news, 10 May 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English pewe, from Middle French dialect (Picardy) puie balustrade, from Latin podia, plural of podium parapet, podium, from Greek podion base, diminutive of pod-, pous foot — more at foot

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for pew

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

Kids Definition

pew

noun

ˈpyü 

: one of the benches with backs and sometimes doors set in rows in a church