stew

1 of 3

noun (1)

ˈstü 

ˈstyü

1

a

: a dish of vegetables and usually meat prepared by stewing

b(1)

: a heterogeneous mixture

(2)

: a state of heat and congestion

2

: a state of excitement, worry, or confusion

3

: a hot bath

4

a

: brothel

b

: a district of brothels

—usually used in plural

5

obsolete : a utensil used for boiling

stew

2 of 3

verb

stewed; stewing; stews

transitive verb

: to boil slowly or with simmering heat

intransitive verb

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

stew

3 of 3

noun (2)

: flight attendant

Synonyms of stew

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

However, in the aforementioned 1959 cookbook, Beau Monde is used in recipes for Spanish rice, beef stew, hamburgers, and gumbo. —Mary Shannon Wells, Southern Living, 10 Apr. 2026

Hearty, comforting, and big on flavor, this stew is worth adding to your weeknight rotation. —Martha Stewart, 9 Apr. 2026

Verb

As the mixture of andouille sausage, tiny yellow potatoes, and fresh green beans stew together in a buttery Cajun-ranch broth, the whole thing starts to look like a swamp at low tide, hence the name. —Maggie Meyer Glisan, Better Homes & Gardens, 8 Apr. 2026

The tomatoes for the shakshouka have been stewing for hours. —Liam Scott, Washington Post, 5 Apr. 2026

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)

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 4a

Verb

15th 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