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

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

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