What does "stew" mean?
A cooking-dish used for boiling; a cauldron.
Stew
/stʃʉː/ name, noun, verb, slang
name, noun, verb, slang ·Very common ·Middle school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A cooking-dish used for boiling; a cauldron.
- Grammar: stew is listed as name, noun, verb, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: casserole, ado, agitation, agonize.
- Useful contrasts: boil, calm, composure.
- Usage evidence: How do you like your beef stew?
How to use "stew"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "stew" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "stew" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "stew" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "stew" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "stew" is acting as name, noun, verb, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "casserole" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "stew", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A cooking-dish used for boiling; a cauldron. obsolete, uncountable, usually
- 2 A cloud of fine particles or droplets; dust, smoke, vapor, mist, or sea-spray. England, Scotland
"The Verna swerved close, her stern kicking up a stew as she started to back up."
- 3 A steward or stewardess on an airplane or boat. informal
"It is our considered and combined judgement that Germans and actors share honors for being the cheapest dates a stew can accept."
- 4 food prepared by stewing especially meat or fish with vegetables wordnet
- 5 A heated bath-room or steam-room; also, a hot bath. historical, uncountable, usually
"And when he came to the chamber there as this lady was the dores of yron vnlocked and vnbolted / And so syr launcelot wente in to the chambre that was as hote as ony stewe / And there syr launcelot toke the fayrest lady by the hand / that euer he sawe / and she was naked as a nedel And when he came to the chamber thereas this lady was, the doors of iron unlocked and unbolted. And so Sir Launcelot went into the chamber that was as hot as any stew. And there Sir Launcelot took the fairest lady by the hand that ever he saw, and she was naked as a needle"
Show 8 more definitions
- 6 agitation resulting from active worry wordnet
- 7 A brothel. archaic, uncountable, usually
"[...] and the agrieved person shall doe more manly, to be extraordinary and singular in claiming the due right whereof he is frustrated, then to piece up his lost contentment by visiting the Stews, or stepping to his neighbours bed, which is the common shift in this mis-fortune, or els by suffering his usefull life to wast away and be lost under a secret affliction of an unconscionable size to humane strength."
- 8 A prostitute. obsolete, uncountable, usually
"But it was so plotted betwixt the Lady, her Husband, and Bristol, that instead of that beauty, he had a notorious Stew sent him, and surely his carriage there was so lascivious..."
- 9 A dish cooked by stewing. countable, uncountable, usually
"I noticed then that there was nothing to drink on the table but brandy, and nothing to eat but salted herrings, and a hot, sickly, highly peppered stew."
- 10 A pool in which fish are kept in preparation for eating. uncountable, usually
"It was used as a stew, so that the inhabitants of the castle could have fish on Fridays, and for this reason the architects had been careful not to let the drains and sewers run into it. It was stocked with fish every year."
- 11 An artificial bed of oysters. US, regional, uncountable, usually
- 12 A state of agitated excitement, worry, or confusion. slang, uncountable, usually
"to be in a stew"
- 13 Unwanted background noise recorded by the microphone. slang, uncountable, usually
"mike stew"
Verb
- 1 To cook (food) by slowly boiling or simmering. ergative, intransitive, transitive
"I'm going to stew some meat for the casserole."
- 2 cook slowly and for a long time in liquid wordnet
- 3 To brew (tea) for too long, so that the flavour becomes too strong. transitive
- 4 bear a grudge; harbor ill feelings wordnet
- 5 To suffer under uncomfortably hot conditions. figuratively, intransitive
"It was an honest letter, written by an honest man, then stewing in the Plains on two hundred rupees a month (for he allowed his wife eight hundred and fifty), and in a silk banian and cotton trousers."
Show 2 more definitions
- 6 be in a huff; be silent or sullen wordnet
- 7 To be in a state of elevated anxiety or anger. figuratively, intransitive
Proper Noun
- 1 A diminutive of the male given name Stewart.
Example
"How do you like your beef stew?"
Common questions
What is a synonym for "stew"?
Common synonyms include: casserole, ado, agitation, agonize, alcoholic, all overs.
How do you use "stew" in a sentence?
How do you like your beef stew?
How do you pronounce "stew"?
Pronounced /stʃʉː/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
From Middle English stewe, stue, from Anglo-Norman estouve, Old French estuve (“bath, bathhouse”) (modern French étuve), from Medieval Latin stupha, of uncertain origin. Perhaps from Vulgar Latin *extufāre, from ex- + Ancient Greek τῦφος (tûphos, “smoke, steam”), from τύφω (túphō, “to smoke”). See also Italian stufare, Portuguese estufar. Compare also Old English stuf-bæþ (“a hot-air bath, vapour bath”); see stove.
Etymology 2
From Middle English stewen, stuwen, from the noun above; and also from Middle English stiven, styven (“to bathe, cook, stew”).
Etymology 3
Probably related to Middle Dutch stuven (“be dusty”) and English stive. Perhaps the same word as stew (“steam-room; dish cooked by stewing”) above.
Etymology 4
Clipping of steward or stewardess.