stove

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noun \ ˈstōv \

Definition of stove

1 a :a portable or fixed apparatus that burns fuel or uses electricity to provide heat (as for cooking or heating)

b :a device that generates heat for special purposes (as for heating tools or heating air for a hot blast)

c :kiln

2 chiefly British :a hothouse especially for the cultivation of tropical exotics; broadly :greenhouse

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See stove defined for kids

Examples of stove in a Sentence

She put the pan on the stove over medium heat.
I cooked the burgers on the stove.

Recent Examples of stove from the Web

The Will County Land Use Department declared the home uninhabitable, noting a broken stove.

— alicia fabbre, chicagotribune.com, "Siblings of toddler found dead under couch to remain in protective custody," 30 Aug. 2017
The Farm house of the Joe Nagy family, residing on the old George Knopf farm east of this city, was considerably damaged by fire Sunday evening, when a distillate fuel burning stove exploded.

— kitty conley, Post-Tribune, "Crown Point Star Newspaper Almanac," 28 Aug. 2017
Officers removed a black rat snake from behind a stove of a residence and released it to the wild.

— Washington Post, "D.C. Animal Watch," 22 Aug. 2017
More troublingly, there was no gas, which meant no hot water or stove (the host, an associate of Mr. Davis’s, had apologized for the inconvenience the day of the rental).

— andy newman, New York Times, "In Search of Donald Trump at His Boyhood Home," 21 Aug. 2017
His first foray into the business of cooking wasn’t at a stove or prep table.

— nancy miller, The Courier-Journal, "Cheers to 10 years! Varanese has more than just staying power," 15 Aug. 2017
For quick cooling, especially if your mix is coming off the stove, dunk it in a large bowl of ice water after straining.

— Popular Mechanics, "How to Make Ice Cream," 4 Aug. 2017
This can be distracting, but the smells of oils and spices wafting from a working onstage stove certainly adds to the ambience.

— christopher arnott, courant.com, "TheaterWorks' Raucous 'Raging Skillet' A Mix Of Sweet And Salty," 3 Aug. 2017
Ninety miles from civilization, we were unplugged in our cabin with a wood stove, propane lights and outhouse.

— marlise kast-myers, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Long haul to Alaska," 20 July 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'stove.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of stove

Middle English (Scots), heated room, steam bath, from Middle Dutch or Middle Low German, from Vulgar Latin *extufa, ultimately from Latin ex- + Greek typhein to smoke — more at deaf

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: circa 1618

See Words from the same year

stove

Definition of stove

past tense and past participle of stave

STOVE Defined for English Language Learners

stove

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noun

Definition of stove for English Language Learners

: a flat piece of kitchen equipment for cooking that usually has four devices (called burners) which become hot when they are turned on and that often is attached to an oven
: a device that burns fuel for heating or cooking
: an oven or furnace that is used for hardening, burning, or drying something (such as pottery)