as in fretting
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Dissimilar Words
1
as in boiling
to cook in a liquid heated to the point that it gives off steam
stew the chicken till tender, and then remove the meat from the bones
Synonyms & Similar Words
2
as in worrying
to experience concern or anxiety
stop stewing over that game and just try to do better next time
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Recent Examples of stewing
Andrew Coletti, Popular Science, 14 Jan. 2026
Not so Wolverhampton Wanderers or West Ham United, who really are stewing in their own juices.
—Phil Hay, New York Times, 2 Jan. 2026
After two-plus days of stewing over the no-show against the Rockets, including a team meeting on Saturday and a rare Sunday morning shootaround, the Lakers found themselves in the second quarter, with Doncic scoring 15 of his 24 first-half points in the period for a 68-53 halftime lead.
—CBS News, 28 Dec. 2025
Add the stewing beef and cook until the meat is no longer pink, stirring frequently.
—Robin Miller, AZCentral.com, 11 Dec. 2025
There is nothing this pot can’t do—braising, baking, stewing, frying.
—Julia Harrison, Architectural Digest, 1 Dec. 2025
It’s been more than a week and people are still stewing about it.
—Susan B. Glasser, New Yorker, 30 Oct. 2025
Right now, Combs is still stewing in the MDC, but he is expected to be moved to a cushier and more low security facility in the NYC area in the near future.
—Dominic Patten, Deadline, 27 Oct. 2025
The sauce, a velvety broth, is a mixture of natural juices and stewing ingredients, sometimes thickened with flour.
—Cathy Thomas, Oc Register, 27 Oct. 2025
Verb
Short cooking preparations of okra, such as frying or sauteeing, release less mucilage than long ones, such as stewing.
—Andrew Coletti, Popular Science, 14 Jan. 2026
Not so Wolverhampton Wanderers or West Ham United, who really are stewing in their own juices.
—Phil Hay, New York Times, 2 Jan. 2026
After two-plus days of stewing over the no-show against the Rockets, including a team meeting on Saturday and a rare Sunday morning shootaround, the Lakers found themselves in the second quarter, with Doncic scoring 15 of his 24 first-half points in the period for a 68-53 halftime lead.
—CBS News, 28 Dec. 2025
Add the stewing beef and cook until the meat is no longer pink, stirring frequently.
—Robin Miller, AZCentral.com, 11 Dec. 2025
There is nothing this pot can’t do—braising, baking, stewing, frying.
—Julia Harrison, Architectural Digest, 1 Dec. 2025
It’s been more than a week and people are still stewing about it.
—Susan B. Glasser, New Yorker, 30 Oct. 2025
Right now, Combs is still stewing in the MDC, but he is expected to be moved to a cushier and more low security facility in the NYC area in the near future.
—Dominic Patten, Deadline, 27 Oct. 2025
The sauce, a velvety broth, is a mixture of natural juices and stewing ingredients, sometimes thickened with flour.
—Cathy Thomas, Oc Register, 27 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for stewing
Verb
-
In lieu of complicated controls and systems, these games seized on the high-energy gameplay of intense dogfighting moments, boiling it down into arcadey combat that was more accessible to the masses.—
Alan Bradley,
Space.com,
31 Jan. 2026
-
And Plaschke’s blood-boiling need to make the grand statement way before anything is certain doesn’t prove the Plaschke Curse is alive and well?—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
31 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Most of my mindset is just worrying.—
Ryan Morik,
FOXNews.com,
6 Feb. 2026
-
And the notion that Democrats are sitting around worrying that there will never be another clean election—that’s not true.—
David Remnick,
New Yorker,
6 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
There’s a fine, touching performance, however, from Showko Showfukutei as Hana’s loving but fretful mother, desperately concerned for her daughter’s well-being but inclined to show love only through unrequired domestic service.—
Guy Lodge,
Variety,
28 Jan. 2026
-
The quintessential late-’80s teen, Ryder here plays a fretful mom.—
Keith Phipps,
Vulture,
27 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Uses and Benefits Bone broth is a traditional food made by simmering animal bones in water for many hours.—
Lindsay Curtis,
Verywell Health,
1 Feb. 2026
-
Instead of tackling the usual staples like hierarchy, territoriality, simmering violence and payback, this is primarily a reflection on care work as a gift to the bestower as much as the receiver.—
David Rooney,
HollywoodReporter,
30 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Many pro-Trump TV shows, podcasters and commentators are defaulting to a defense of law enforcement — but fretting about how the wider public is reacting to the violent imagery from Minnesota.—
Brian Stelter,
CNN Money,
26 Jan. 2026
-
But workers should adjust their expectations and recognize that some companies aren’t fretting about whether or not their employees can adapt to AI.—
Kevin Oakes,
Fortune,
17 Dec. 2025
Adjective
-
Freezing the landscape in time is what the people of Vermont, and not merely tourists, want, but it’s also left residents with a vexed regard for visitors.—
Jill Lepore,
New Yorker,
19 Jan. 2026
-
Brooding in the historical background are the plantations, the vexed issue of where the money comes from that underwrites all this charm, these impeccable manners, this unsteady gaiety.—
Rosa Lyster,
Harpers Magazine,
30 Dec. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Stewing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/stewing. Accessed 8 Feb. 2026.
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