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

Typical dishes include caldereta – goat stew with potatoes, carrots, olives and peas – and Filipino spaghetti, an adaptation of Italian Bolognese featuring a tomato sauce that’s sweetened with banana ketchup and brown sugar, then topped with hot dogs. —Laura Sharman, CNN Money, 22 Dec. 2025

Best Choice Products 6-Quart Cast-Iron Dutch Oven Making soup, stews, chili, and even homemade bread is a breeze in this 6-quart Dutch oven. —Alicia Geigel, Southern Living, 20 Dec. 2025

Verb

Lentils stewed with bell peppers, for example, is a good dish to help relieve fatigue. —Vogue, 12 Dec. 2025

Stew meat is a tougher cut of meat (often from the shoulder of the cow) and is best for slow, moist-heat cooking methods like stewing or braising. —Robin Miller, AZCentral.com, 11 Dec. 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)

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