stewed; stewing; stews
: to boil slowly or with simmering heat
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
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
Khalil Alhajal, Freep.com, 14 Aug. 2025
All are worthy, but the 69-year-old Brewery Bar II shows many of them up with its face-meltingly hot variety of the traditional stew, available in cups, bowls, take-out containers and atop Mexican dishes and combos — including its unbeatable crispy rellenos.
—John Wenzel, Denver Post, 13 Aug. 2025
Jeff Chu, Travel + Leisure, 12 Aug. 2025
Popular options include ropa vieja (shredded beef stewed in Spanish wine sauce with peppers, onions, and tomatoes) and churrasco (skirt steak served with housemade chimichurri).
—Tara Massouleh McCay, Southern Living, 7 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for stew
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Noun
Purslane pesto appears to be a popular use for this obscure herb, and there are countless recipes out there that make use of it in soups, stews, stir-fries and egg dishes.
—Khalil Alhajal, Freep.com, 14 Aug. 2025
All are worthy, but the 69-year-old Brewery Bar II shows many of them up with its face-meltingly hot variety of the traditional stew, available in cups, bowls, take-out containers and atop Mexican dishes and combos — including its unbeatable crispy rellenos.
—John Wenzel, Denver Post, 13 Aug. 2025
Verb
The jelly is made from pheasant and rabbit—both invasive species—stewed with sherry and herbs.
—Jeff Chu, Travel + Leisure, 12 Aug. 2025
Popular options include ropa vieja (shredded beef stewed in Spanish wine sauce with peppers, onions, and tomatoes) and churrasco (skirt steak served with housemade chimichurri).
—Tara Massouleh McCay, Southern Living, 7 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for stew
Cite this Entry
“Stew.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/stew. Accessed 20 Aug. 2025.
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