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

The woman who was punched by a former Shelby police officer walked into a local church Tuesday morning with civil rights attorney Ben Crump to applause from full pews. —Charlotte Observer, 2 June 2026

On my way back to the pew, the guilt was still there, loping doggedly at my side. —Peter Hessler, New Yorker, 31 May 2026

THe morning after Louisiana’s House primaries were scheduled to take place, worshippers at Mount Zion First Baptist Church in Baton Rouge were on their feet, swaying to the gospel music that vibrated through the wooden pews. —Yvonne Wingett Sanchez, The Atlantic, 31 May 2026

Ahead of me, the pews were sparsely populated by about four dozen people, many still wearing their matching green name tags. —Katie Thornton, Harpers Magazine, 26 May 2026

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