stowaway

1 of 2

noun

stow·​away ˈstō-ə-ˌwā How to pronounce stowaway (audio)
: one that stows away

stow away

2 of 2

verb

stowed away; stowing away; stows away

intransitive verb

: to secrete oneself aboard a vehicle as a means of obtaining transportation

Examples of stowaway in a Sentence

Noun A stowaway was discovered on the ship.
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
This stowaway snake situation comes a few weeks after a cat owner in Australia discovered a dangerous snake wrapped around her feline's neck. Kelli Bender, Peoplemag, 20 Feb. 2024 These stowaways can enter the other’s bloodstream, travel to distant organs, and establish themselves alongside native cells. Cody Cottier, Discover Magazine, 14 Feb. 2024 The stowaway, who was not identified but is believed to be in his 20s, was discovered during technical checks. Bradford Betz, Fox News, 28 Dec. 2023 Now, a jury has found the man, who has Russian and Israeli passports, guilty of one count of being a stowaway on an aircraft, the attorney’s office announced in a Jan. 26 news release. Julia Marnin, Sacramento Bee, 29 Jan. 2024 Two of the men asked to be sent back to Nigeria, Brazilian authorities said, but Friday and the fourth stowaway, Thankgod Opemipo Matthew Yeye, decided to stay and have applied for refugee status. Julia Vargas Jones, BostonGlobe.com, 10 Aug. 2023 Common coastal stowaways included amphipods, isopods, hydroids and bryozoans, most of which originated from the northwest Pacific. Tim Brinkhof, Discover Magazine, 25 Nov. 2023 The alleged stowaway walked around the plane and changed seats regularly. Rachel Pannett, Washington Post, 12 Dec. 2023 But when the screens became stowaways in our purses and pockets, this predominant metaphor, however problematic, shifted. WIRED, 19 Sep. 2023
Verb
This kit is smartly designed to open up like a clam shell and stow away any and all of your bathroom essentials. Alyssa Brascia, Peoplemag, 16 Oct. 2023 When the devices are finished charging, the charging station can fold up and be stowed away until the next time they it’s needed. Mark Sparrow, Forbes, 26 Feb. 2024 The GOP proposal could dip into the billions of dollars currently stowed away in the state's Rainy Day Fund, a potential move touted in a press conference earlier Tuesday by the Kentucky Center for Economic Policy, but the goal is to keep spending at a reasonable level. Rachel Smith, The Courier-Journal, 2 Jan. 2024 The design has four zipper compartments to neatly stow away anything from hair accessories to makeup. Wendy Vazquez, Southern Living, 30 Dec. 2023 In fact, my father kept paper stock certificates in a gray metal lockbox stowed away in my closet to save on the custody charges brokers levied at the time. James Martielli, Fortune, 29 Jan. 2024 Healthcare costs With healthcare costs rising, having extra stowed away for medical emergencies may be critical. Tanza Loudenback, wsj.com, 11 Jan. 2024 While protecting your outdoor furniture with a cover is important, outdoor cushions should be stowed away and protected in a storage bag. Molly Allen, Southern Living, 5 Jan. 2024 Aided by our boats, most dramatically in the age of European imperialism, each species transformed into a peculiar kind of marine mammal, one that stows away to reach distant ports. WIRED, 7 Oct. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'stowaway.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1848, in the meaning defined above

Verb

1879, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of stowaway was in 1848

Dictionary Entries Near stowaway

stow away

stowaway

stowbord

Cite this Entry

“Stowaway.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/stowaway. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

stowaway

1 of 2 noun
stow·​away ˈstō-ə-ˌwā How to pronounce stowaway (audio)
: one who stows away : an unregistered passenger

stow away

2 of 2 verb
ˌstō-ə-ˈwā
: to hide aboard a vehicle to obtain transportation

More from Merriam-Webster on stowaway

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