steward

1 of 2

noun

stew·​ard ˈstü-ərd 

ˈstyü-;

ˈst(y)u̇rd

1

: one employed in a large household or estate to manage domestic concerns (such as the supervision of servants, collection of rents, and keeping of accounts)

2

: shop steward

3

: a fiscal agent

4

a

: an employee on a ship, airplane, bus, or train who manages the provisioning of food and attends passengers

b

: one appointed to supervise the provision and distribution of food and drink in an institution

5

: one who actively directs affairs : manager

steward

2 of 2

verb

stewarded; stewarding; stewards

transitive verb

: to act as a steward for : manage

intransitive verb

: to perform the duties of a steward

Synonyms

Noun

• servant

Verb

• oversee
• supervise
• manage
• operate
• control
• handle
• conduct
• regulate
• govern
• run

Examples of steward in a Sentence

Noun

the steward of their investments

teaching our children to be good stewards of the land

the steward of the estate

The race stewards are reviewing the results.

Verb

will steward the city's library programs

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Highlight Legacy and Stewardship: Frame succession planning as selecting a steward for the collection, ensuring that the collector’s passion and vision endure. —Matthew F. Erskine, Forbes.com, 8 July 2025

Wallace and Bibb, Mr. Wilson, the steward, and their assistants, are doing all in their power to make this asylum a credit to the state of Texas. —Michael Barnes, Austin American Statesman, 4 July 2025

Verb

House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., took a victory lap after Jeffries’ marathon speech and just before the final vote, praising the bill’s tax cuts and funding for border security, and personally thanked Trump and Vice President JD Vance for helping steward the bill through Congress. —Zachary Folk, Forbes.com, 4 July 2025

Their attention is primarily directed at the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, the nonprofit corporation that stewards federal money that Congress appropriates for NPR and PBS. —Josh Shepperd, The Conversation, 2 May 2025

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English, from Old English stīweard, from stī, stig hall, sty + weard ward — more at sty, ward

First Known Use

Noun

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1621, in the meaning defined at transitive sense

Phrases Containing steward

• shop steward
• wine steward

Rhymes for steward

• skewered

Kids Definition

steward

noun

stew·​ard

ˈst(y)ü-ərd,

ˈst(y)u̇(-ə)rd

1

: a manager of a large home, estate, or organization

2

: a person employed to manage the supply and distribution of food and attend the needs of passengers (as on a train, airplane, or ship)

Etymology

Noun

Old English stīweard, literally, "keeper of the hall, keeper of the sty," from stī "hall, sty" and weard "ward, guard, keeper"

Legal Definition

steward

noun

stew·​ard

: shop steward