stew

1 of 3

noun (1)

ˈstü How to pronounce stew (audio)
ˈstyü
Synonyms of stewnext
1
a
: a dish of vegetables and usually meat prepared by stewing
b(1)
: a heterogeneous mixture
(2)
: a state of heat and congestion
2
: a state of excitement, worry, or confusion
3
: a hot bath
4
a
b
: a district of brothels
usually used in plural
5
obsolete : a utensil used for boiling

stew

2 of 3

verb

stewed; stewing; stews

transitive verb

: to boil slowly or with simmering heat

intransitive verb

1
: to become cooked by slowly boiling or simmering in liquid
2
: to swelter especially from confinement in a hot or stuffy atmosphere
3
: to be in a state of suppressed agitation, worry, or resentment

stew

3 of 3

noun (2)

Examples of stew in a Sentence

Noun (1) many in town are in a stew about the proposed plan to close at least one of the elementary schools the audience went into a stew when the evacuation order was announced the documentary looks at the stew of conspiracy theories inspired by the assassination a red-light district full of down and dirty stews Verb The meat still needs to stew. a can of stewed tomatoes She's been stewing over what he said for days.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Noun
But the result had all the concentrated, savory depth that makes beef stew so comforting and craveable. Callie Sumlin, Bon Appetit Magazine, 3 Apr. 2026 The steak tip sub and a beef stew. Neal Riley, CBS News, 2 Apr. 2026
Verb
But South Carolina’s returners have spent a year stewing on that championship loss, specifically on UConn’s 23-point margin of victory. Emily Adams, Hartford Courant, 2 Apr. 2026 Hughes spent weeks stewing before calling director Howie Deutsch with the solution. Seth Abramovitch, HollywoodReporter, 31 Mar. 2026 See All Example Sentences for stew

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

Middle English stewe heated room for a steam bath, from Anglo-French estuve, from Vulgar Latin *extufa — more at stove

Noun (2)

short for stewardess

First Known Use

Noun (1)

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 4a

Verb

15th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense

Noun (2)

1970, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of stew was in the 14th century

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Stew.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/stew. Accessed 5 Apr. 2026.

Kids Definition

stew

1 of 2 noun
1
: food (as meat with vegetables) prepared by slow boiling
2
: a state of excitement, worry, or confusion
in a stew over nothing

stew

2 of 2 verb
1
: to boil slowly : simmer
2
: to become excited or worried : fret

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