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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
To put it simply: There aren’t as many in the pews as there used to be. Dan Horn, The Enquirer, 2 July 2025 Video of the event shows crowded pews, with at least 100 people in attendance. Bianca Moreno-Paz, Austin American Statesman, 2 July 2025 People in the pews began yelling and rushing out of view of the camera. Elizabeth Robinson, NBC news, 23 June 2025 Jones draws a direct line from church pews to the blue carpet. Melissa Noel, Essence, 8 May 2025 See All Example Sentences for pew

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of pew was in the 14th century

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Pew.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pew. Accessed 11 Jul. 2025.

Kids Definition

pew

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

More from Merriam-Webster on pew

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!