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stow

verb
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\ ˈstō How to pronounce stow (audio) \
stowed; stowing; stows

Definition of stow

 (Entry 1 of 3)

transitive verb

1 : house, lodge
2a : to put away for future use : store
b obsolete : to lock up for safekeeping : confine
3a : to dispose in an orderly fashion : arrange, pack
b : load
4 slang : to put aside : stop
5a archaic : crowd
b : to eat or drink up —usually used with awaystowed away a huge dinner

Stow

biographical name
\ ˈstō How to pronounce Stow (audio) \

Definition of Stow (Entry 2 of 3)

John 1525–1605 English historian and antiquarian

Stow

geographical name
\ ˈstō How to pronounce Stow (audio) \

Definition of Stow (Entry 3 of 3)

city in northeastern Ohio northeast of Akron population 34,837
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Synonyms for stow

Synonyms: Verb

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Examples of stow in a Sentence

Verb He stowed his gear in a locker. Luggage may be stowed under the seat.
Recent Examples on the Web: Verb This week, Qantas Airways said travelers would only be allowed to stow them in the cabin and only they are switched off. — Don Reisinger, Fortune, "Apple’s Planned iPhone Unveiling Overshadows Other Big News," 31 Aug. 2019 All of its communications antennas were built on retractable motors so they could be stowed in contested airspace. — Alex Hollings, Popular Mechanics, "Why the F-117 Nighthawk Is Such a Badass Plane," 12 Aug. 2019 The seats can also be collapsed and stowed up at the ceiling in seconds, to generate more room. — Eric Adams, WIRED, "The Air Force's New Rescue Chopper Flies Farther Than Ever," 19 July 2019 The Osmo Mobile 3 now folds and locks into a super small form factor that is much easier to stow. — Becca Farsace, The Verge, "The DJI Osmo Mobile 3 finally fits in your bag," 19 Aug. 2019 At the dock, workers unloaded containers stowed with 52,000 chicken breasts, ground beef for 33,000 hamburgers, dough for 123,000 cookies, 18 concrete foundation footers, a tractor-trailer and a construction elevator. — Author: Richard Read, Anchorage Daily News, "Meet the icebreaker Polar Star, the neglected stepchild of the U.S. military industrial complex," 17 Aug. 2019 Now Police posted a photo of the man on their Twitter account, apparently still wearing the toupee with the contraband stowed underneath it. — Amy Gunia, Time, "A Man Tried to Smuggle Cocaine Into Spain by Hiding It Under His Toupee," 17 July 2019 Stone said, pointing to piles of tools near the motorcycles stowed several feet from his couch. — Sarah Ravani, SFChronicle.com, "Oakland shuttered artist warehouses after Ghost Ship. Cannabis may take the rest," 11 Aug. 2019 Futhu and his father raced to hide his diaries, shoving them in a sack and stowing it in a rice paddy next to some bushes. — New York Times, "The Schoolteacher and the Genocide," 8 Aug. 2019

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

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First Known Use of stow

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

History and Etymology for stow

Verb

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

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Statistics for stow

Last Updated

24 Oct 2019

Time Traveler for stow

The first known use of stow was in the 14th century

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More Definitions for stow

stow

verb
How to pronounce Stow (audio)

English Language Learners Definition of stow

: to put (something that is not being used) in a place where it is available, where it can be kept safely, etc.

See the full definition for stow in the English Language Learners Dictionary

stow

verb
\ ˈstō How to pronounce stow (audio) \
stowed; stowing

Kids Definition of stow

1 : to put away : store He stowed his belongings in the closet.
2 : load entry 2 sense 1 The ship was stowed before the voyage.
stow away
: to hide on a vehicle (as a ship) in order to travel without paying or being seen

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More from Merriam-Webster on stow

Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for stow

Rhyming Dictionary: Words that rhyme with stow

Spanish Central: Translation of stow

Nglish: Translation of stow for Spanish Speakers

Britannica English: Translation of stow for Arabic Speakers

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