What does "stow" mean?
A place, stead.
Stow
/stoʊ/ intj, name, noun, verb, slang
intj, name, noun, verb, slang ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A place, stead.
- Grammar: stow is listed as intj, name, noun, verb, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: atticize, atticized, atticizes, backpacked.
- Useful contrasts: crossbow, flourishes, laid out.
- Usage evidence: Between meals, he usually manages to stow away a generous supply of candy, ice cream, popcorn and fruit.
How to use "stow"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "stow" 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 "stow" 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 "stow" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "stow" 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 "stow" is acting as intj, 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 "atticize" 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 "stow", 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 place, stead. rare
Verb
- 1 To put something away in a compact and tidy manner, in its proper place, or in a suitable place. transitive
- 2 fill by packing tightly wordnet
- 3 To store or pack something in a space-saving manner and over a long time. transitive
"Yet everybody knows that a cargo properly stowed in a seaworthy craft reaches market in much the better condition than by rail, though perhaps it is some hours longer on the way."
- 4 To arrange, pack, or fill something tightly or closely. transitive
- 5 To dispose of, lodge, or hide somebody somewhere. transitive
"Ar.[…]The Marriners all vnder hatches ſtowed, / Who, with a Charme ioynd to their ſuffred labour / I haue left aſleep :[…]"
Show 1 more definition
- 6 To cease; to stop doing something. obsolete, slang, transitive
"But when I strove my flame to tell, / Says she, 'Come, stow that patter, / If you're a cove wot likes a gal, / Vy don't you stand some gatter?' / In course I instantly complied— / Two brimming quarts of porter, / With sev'ral goes of gin beside, / Drain'd Bet the Coaley's daughter."
Intj
- 1 A cry used by falconers to call their birds back down to hand. obsolete, transitive
"His seconde hawke wexyd gery […] on the rode loft She perkyd her to rest. The fauconer then was prest, Came runnynge with a dow, And cryed, ‘Stow, stow, stow!’ But she wold not bow."
Proper Noun
- 1 A surname.
- 2 A village in the Scottish Borders council area, Scotland (OS grid ref NT4544).
- 3 A village and civil parish in West Lindsey district, Lincolnshire, England (OS grid ref SK8881).
- 4 The alternative spelling of Stowe in Shropshire, England.
- 5 A small town in Oxford County, Maine, United States.
Show 2 more definitions
- 6 A town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States.
- 7 A city in Summit County, Ohio, United States.
Antonyms
Example
"Between meals, he usually manages to stow away a generous supply of candy, ice cream, popcorn and fruit."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "stow"?
Common synonyms include: atticize, atticized, atticizes, backpacked, backpacking, bag.
How do you use "stow" in a sentence?
Between meals, he usually manages to stow away a generous supply of candy, ice cream, popcorn and fruit.
How do you pronounce "stow"?
Pronounced /stoʊ/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
From Middle English stowe, from Old English stōw (“place, location”), from Proto-West Germanic *stōu, from Proto-Germanic *stōō (“a place, stowage”), from Proto-Indo-European *steh₂- (“to stand, place, put”). Cognate with Old Frisian stō (“place”), Icelandic stó (“fireplace”), Dutch stouw (“place”), German Stau (“congestion”). See also -stow.
Etymology 2
From Middle English stowen, stawen, stewen, from Old English stōwian (“to hold back, restrain”), from Proto-Germanic *stōōną, *stōjaną (“to stow, dam up”), from Proto-Indo-European *steh₂- (“to stand, place”). Cognate with Dutch stuwen, stouwen (“to stow”), Low German stauen (“to blin, halt, hinder”), German stauen (“to halt, hem in, stow, pack”).