stewardship

American  

[stoo-erd-ship, styoo-] / ˈstu ərd ʃɪp, ˈstyu- /

noun

1. the position and duties of a steward, a person who acts as the surrogate of another or others, especially by managing property, financial affairs, an estate, etc.

2. the responsible overseeing and protection of something considered worth caring for and preserving.

   New regulatory changes will result in better stewardship of lands that are crucial for open space and wildlife habitat.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• understewardship
  noun

Etymology

Origin of stewardship

First recorded in 1450–1500; steward + -ship

Explanation

Stewardship means the management or care of something, particularly the kind that works. If your company is making money, there’s probably been careful stewardship — or, a lot of luck. The sphere or responsibility of a steward (as in a manager or administrator), stewardship is often used to mean "the care, handling and management of resources." Your school requires stewardship to make sure its supplies aren’t stretched. Your clean water may be thanks to the stewardship of an environmental office. Though there is a steward on a ship to handle food and supplies, the ship in stewardship is not a seagoing vessel; it's just a suffix.

Example Sentences

But he stopped short of saying how his stewardship of the November talks would break a stalemate around fossil fuels that has plagued recent COPs and sparked a revolt at the last summit in Brazil.

From Barron's • Jun. 8, 2026

Now, with Jennifer Cohen at the helm, it finally has stewardship worthy of its legacy, and the results are starting to speak for themselves — a reminder that competent leadership matters more than star power.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 6, 2026

Kushner's business partner, Asher Abehsera, says the project is focused on "responsible stewardship" and enhancing the environment, as well as creating jobs and value for local communities.

From BBC • Jun. 4, 2026

The inaugural marathon under Burke’s stewardship took place in 1986, and 11,000 racers toed the starting line, nearly half the size of the long-running and world-famous New York City Marathon that same year.

From Los Angeles Times • May 30, 2026

When Europeans arrived on this continent, they often seemed unaware that many conditions that were useful to them were the result of Indigenous peoples’ stewardship of the land.

From "An Indigenous People’s History of the United States" by Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz

Related Words

• administration
• care
• control
• governance
• government
• handling
• operation
• oversight
• supervision