stow

verb

ˈstō 

stowed; stowing; stows

transitive verb

1

: house, lodge

2

a

: to put away for future use : store

b

obsolete : to lock up for safekeeping : confine

3

a

: to dispose in an orderly fashion : arrange, pack

b

: load

4

slang : to put aside : stop

5

a

archaic : crowd

b

: to eat or drink up

—usually used with away

stowed away a huge dinner

Synonyms

• store
• keep

Examples of stow in a Sentence

He stowed his gear in a locker.

Luggage may be stowed under the seat.

Recent Examples on the Web

Pull out all of the food I’d tucked into assorted pockets during the day and put it into the bear can, locked and stowed far away from the tent. —Grayson Haver Currin, Outside, 2 Sep. 2025

The 48-by-32-inch tabletop is small enough to stow in a corner but still spacious enough to comfortably sit four people without feeling cramped. —Jamie Fischer, Better Homes & Gardens, 2 Sep. 2025

When finished, the cables were neatly stowed under the boot floor. —Matthew MacConnell, Forbes.com, 25 Aug. 2025

Your carry-on is safely stowed, your audiobook is queued up, and your phone is on airplane mode. —Alesandra Dubin, Southern Living, 24 Aug. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, to place, from stowe place, from Old English stōw; akin to Old Frisian stō place, Greek stylos pillar — more at steer

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing stow

• stow away

Rhymes for stow

• beau
• beaux
• blow
• boe
• bro
• coe
• crow
• doe
• doh
• dough
• eau
• eaux

Kids Definition

stow

verb

ˈstō 

1

: to put away : store

stowed their belongings in the closet

2

a

: arrange sense 1, pack

quickly stowed the cargo

b

: load entry 2 sense 1a

stowed the ships to capacity

3

: to eat or drink up

stow away a meal

Geographical Definition

Stow

geographical name

ˈstō 

city in northeastern Ohio northeast of Akron population 34,837

Biographical Definition

Stow

biographical name

ˈstō 

John 1525–1605 English historian and antiquarian