stow

[ stoh ]
See synonyms for stow on Thesaurus.com
verb (used with object)
  1. Nautical.

    • to put (cargo, provisions, etc.) in the places intended for them.

    • to put (sails, spars, gear, etc.) in the proper place or condition when not in use.

  2. to put in a place or receptacle, as for storage or reserve; pack: He stowed the potatoes in our cellar.

  1. to fill (a place or receptacle) by packing: to stow a carton with books.

  2. to have or afford room for; hold.

  3. Slang. to stop; break off: Stow it! Stow the talk!

  4. to put away, as in a safe or convenient place (often followed by away).

  5. to lodge or quarter.

Verb Phrases
  1. stow away, to conceal oneself aboard a ship or other conveyance in order to obtain free transportation or to elude pursuers.

Origin of stow

1
1300–50; Middle English stowen,Old English stōwigan to keep, hold back (literally, to place), derivative of stōw place; akin to Old Norse eldstō fireplace, Gothic stojan to judge (literally, to place)

Other words from stow

  • stow·a·ble, adjective
  • re·stow, verb (used with object)

Other definitions for Stow (2 of 2)

Stow
[ stoh ]

noun
  1. a city in NE Ohio.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use stow in a sentence

  • The rebuffed male resumes his post as a watcher in the sun; and the housewife stows her provisions.

    More Hunting Wasps | J. Henri Fabre
  • Cocoa we found great benefit from; it is much relished by the men, stows in little room, and affords great nourishment.

    Voyage of H.M.S. Pandora | Edward Edwards
  • It is usually furnished with numerous pockets, one of them being called the "poke-out pocket," in which he stows away his lunches.

    Tramping with Tramps | Josiah Flynt
  • I found it rotten and shaky, serving as a sort of barn in which a farmer stows his oats, straw and corn fodder.

    Hoosier Mosaics | Maurice Thompson
  • The catalogue of 1458 bears out Stows description of the library as well-furnished.

    Old English Libraries | Ernest Savage

British Dictionary definitions for stow (1 of 2)

stow

/ (stəʊ) /


verb(tr)
  1. (often foll by away) to pack or store

  2. to fill by packing

  1. nautical to pack or put away (cargo, sails and other gear, etc)

  2. to have enough room for

  3. (usually imperative) British slang to cease from: stow your noise!; stow it!

Origin of stow

1
Old English stōwian to keep, hold back, from stōw a place; related to Old High German stouwen to accuse, Gothic stōjan to judge, Old Slavonic staviti to place

British Dictionary definitions for Stow (2 of 2)

Stow

/ (stəʊ) /


noun
  1. John. 1525–1605, English antiquary, noted for his Survey of London and Westminster (1598; 1603)

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012