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

The headphones have a collapsible, travel-ready design and come with a cross-body travel bag for stowing them away. —Mark Sparrow, Forbes.com, 16 July 2025

Treat yourself to a new bag with plenty of room to stow your gear, a clever rangefinder that reviewers compare to pricier brands, or try these New Balance sneakers to level-up your looks. —Clara McMahon, People.com, 10 July 2025

The yacht’s chef began stowing cutlery, pots and pans. —Lex Harvey, CNN Money, 15 May 2025

While Huawei's Watch Buds, which shipped in the spring of 2023, stow their earbuds under a watch screen that pops up, the Reebok Watch EB tucks them into individual compartments on one side. —Rob Pegoraro, PC Magazine, 21 June 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