stew

1 of 3

noun (1)

ˈstü How to pronounce stew (audio)
ˈstyü
Synonyms of stewnext
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
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)

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
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Noun
So glad to see the produce aisles and farmers’ market bins busting out with green after a long winter of monochromatic offerings of beige braises and beefy brown stews. Catharine Kaufman, San Diego Union-Tribune, 20 Mar. 2026 Mia was raised on the trail eating rabbit stew, telling stories around the fire barrel and sleeping under the stars with parents who met when her father challenged her mother to a horse race. Molly Hennessy-Fiske, Washington Post, 19 Mar. 2026
Verb
Make a satisfying cook’s choice stewed fruit bowl to break up the monotony using dried, canned and even frozen fruits. Mary Ann Esposito, Boston Herald, 11 Mar. 2026 After nine episodes spent stewing in suspicion, the CBS legal drama has released the tension from one of its biggest secrets and forced Julian into action. Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 27 Feb. 2026 See All Example Sentences for stew

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of stew was in the 14th century

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Stew.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/stew. Accessed 27 Mar. 2026.

Kids Definition

stew

1 of 2 noun
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

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