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

• keep
• put up
• reposit
• store

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 astronauts stowed their equipment and McClain repositioned a foot restraint. —Robert Z. Pearlman, Space.com, 1 May 2025

Just an hour away, in New Canaan, Connecticut, Philip Johnson stowed his private painting gallery beneath a hillock and shut it behind a steel door. —Justin Davidson, Curbed, 28 Apr. 2025

To keep them tidy, incorporate a metal mug tree for efficiently stowing coffee cups. —Ali Faccenda, People.com, 2 Mar. 2025

Australia’s Feline Invasion Began As The First British Ships Reached The Shore Cats were initially stowed aboard ships of the First Fleet to keep rat populations in check. —Scott Travers, Forbes.com, 26 Apr. 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