stewed; stewing; stews
: to boil slowly or with simmering heat
1
: to become cooked by slowly boiling or simmering in liquid
2
: to swelter especially from confinement in a hot or stuffy atmosphere
3
: to be in a state of suppressed agitation, worry, or resentment
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
Usa Today Network, USA Today, 13 Feb. 2026
Her Sunnyside restaurant feels like a celebration of cultures, flowing with fruit-forward cocktails, as tables share stews like the red lentil misir humming with heat and warmed with cardamom and cloves.
—Andrea Strong, Bon Appetit Magazine, 10 Feb. 2026
R. Eric Thomas, Chicago Tribune, 13 Feb. 2026
Those many Americans who still understand that freedom is the magic elixir that drives growth and prosperity are exiting blue states, leaving them to stew in their left-wing, socialist, low-growth and low-opportunity juices.
—Arkansas Online, 11 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for stew
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Noun
Order the waterzooi — the house specialty seafood stew — the duck confit, the crepe caprice, or the escargot petit gris served in a Roquefort cream sauce.
—Usa Today Network, USA Today, 13 Feb. 2026
Her Sunnyside restaurant feels like a celebration of cultures, flowing with fruit-forward cocktails, as tables share stews like the red lentil misir humming with heat and warmed with cardamom and cloves.
—Andrea Strong, Bon Appetit Magazine, 10 Feb. 2026
Verb
There’s no reason to stew over this for 12 years.
—R. Eric Thomas, Chicago Tribune, 13 Feb. 2026
Those many Americans who still understand that freedom is the magic elixir that drives growth and prosperity are exiting blue states, leaving them to stew in their left-wing, socialist, low-growth and low-opportunity juices.
—Arkansas Online, 11 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for stew
Cite this Entry
“Stew.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/stew. Accessed 15 Feb. 2026.
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