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

His passion for storytelling grew from hours spent in church pews and movie theaters, two places that, for him, offered meaning and possibility. —Loureen Ayyoub, CBS News, 20 Nov. 2025

My father slid his saxophone case from under the pew. —Madhuri Vijay, New Yorker, 16 Nov. 2025

Never mind that the congregation is filled with white supremacists — at that moment, waving a weapon in front of children in pews, Lee is the bad guy. —Kathryn Vanarendonk, Vulture, 10 Nov. 2025

The standing-room only crowd spilled beyond the pews of the church overlooking the Detroit River and into an entryway. —Violet Ikonomova, Freep.com, 9 Nov. 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