stew

1 of 3

noun (1)

ˈstü 

ˈstyü

1

obsolete : a utensil used for boiling

2

: a hot bath

3

a

: brothel

b

: a district of brothels

—usually used in plural

4

a

: fish or meat usually with vegetables prepared by stewing

b(1)

: a heterogeneous mixture

(2)

: a state of heat and congestion

5

: a state of excitement, worry, or confusion

stew

2 of 3

verb

stewed; stewing; stews

transitive verb

: to boil slowly or with simmering heat

intransitive verb

1

: to become cooked by stewing

2

: to swelter especially from confinement in a hot or stuffy atmosphere

3

: to be in a state of suppressed agitation, worry, or resentment

stew

3 of 3

noun (2)

: flight attendant

Synonyms

Noun (1)

• huff
• sweat
• panic
• fuss
• fret

Verb

• boil
• simmer

Examples of stew in a Sentence

Noun (1)

many in town are in a stew about the proposed plan to close at least one of the elementary schools

the audience went into a stew when the evacuation order was announced

the documentary looks at the stew of conspiracy theories inspired by the assassination

a red-light district full of down and dirty stews

Verb

The meat still needs to stew.

a can of stewed tomatoes

She's been stewing over what he said for days.

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Its generous capacity is perfect for preparing stews and chilis, batch cooking, blanching vegetables, and even poaching. —Emily Weaver, PEOPLE, 7 Oct. 2025

There are sandwiches, entrees, soups, and stews. —Susan Selasky, Freep.com, 7 Oct. 2025

Verb

Boiling or stewing retains more moisture, so the amount of protein per ounce may be slightly lower.9 Serving size: Larger portions contain more total protein. —Lindsey Desoto, Health, 1 Oct. 2025

Betrayed by his best friend and left alone to stew in it, Wes doesn’t take long to agree to back Roxie in the takeover. —Andy Andersen, Vulture, 18 Sep. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

Middle English stewe heated room for a steam bath, from Anglo-French estuve, from Vulgar Latin *extufa — more at stove

Noun (2)

short for stewardess

First Known Use

Noun (1)

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense

Noun (2)

1970, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing stew

• Brunswick stew
• in a stew
• Irish stew
• mulligan stew
• stew in one's own juice/juices

Rhymes for stew

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

Kids Definition

stew

1 of 2 noun

ˈst(y)ü 

1

: food (as meat with vegetables) prepared by slow boiling

2

: a state of excitement, worry, or confusion

in a stew over nothing

stew

2 of 2 verb

1

: to boil slowly : simmer

2

: to become excited or worried : fret