bestow
Americanverb (used with object)
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bestows,
present (3rd person singular)
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bestowed,
past participle, past
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bestowing
present participle
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to present as a gift; give; confer (usually followed by on orupon ).
The trophy was bestowed upon the winner.
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Archaic. to put to some use; apply.
He was continually working the mines, expending money and bestowing his time, toil, and skill upon them.
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Archaic.
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to provide quarters for; house; lodge.
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to put; stow; deposit; store.
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verb
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to present (a gift) or confer (an award or honour)
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archaic to apply (energy, resources, etc)
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archaic to house (a person) or store (goods)
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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bestowalnoun
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bestowernoun
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bestowmentnoun
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prebestowalnoun
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misbestowverb (used with object)
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prebestowverb (used with object)
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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bestowsimple
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bestowssimple
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have bestowedperfect
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has bestowedperfect
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am bestowingprogressive
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are bestowingprogressive
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is bestowingprogressive
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have been bestowingperfect progressive
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has been bestowingperfect progressive
Past
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bestowedsimple
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had bestowedperfect
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was bestowingprogressive
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were bestowingprogressive
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had been bestowingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of bestow
First recorded in 1275–1325; Middle English bestowen; see be-, stow ( def. )
Explanation
When you present an honor or a gift to someone, you bestow it, which is the same as giving it, but often classier and more respectful. Bestow comes from the Middle English stowen, "to place." Placing something really valuable or honoring in the hands of another, or conferring a position of responsibility on them, is to bestow it. For example, "She gave her teacher a ceramic apple she had made, knowing that her whole class would bestow the big honor of Teacher of the Year later that day," or, "The king praised her for working with the poor, and he would later bestow the medal of honor on her in a ceremony."
Vocabulary lists containing bestow
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100 SAT Words Beginning with "B"
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
“We were providing them with data they thought was valuable that they want to replicate on their own using the best practices we could bestow on them,” Abramson said.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 22, 2026
We are also a species insufficiently grateful, it seems, for the favors flowers bestow.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 17, 2026
Last year, the regional government pledged to bestow the honorary title of "village of military valour" for the participation of its men in the war.
From BBC ● Feb. 19, 2026
In response to outcry over the plan to include Suharto, Prabowo's office had insisted he has the right to bestow the title upon whomever he chooses.
From Barron's ● Nov. 10, 2025
Horses I cannot take to Ithaka; let me bestow them back on you, to serve your glory here.
From "The Odyssey" by Homer
Supporters think the passage bestows citizenship on virtually any person born in the U.S.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 1, 2026
In order to truly feel the benefit and gift that this money bestows, you clearly need to make sure it makes a difference elsewhere, too.
From MarketWatch ● Mar. 20, 2026
“No,” he added, “it is the office of the president that bestows those far-reaching protections to the office holder.”
From Slate ● Jan. 10, 2025
She bestows Truthsayers to select houses and denies others, including her own.
From Salon ● Nov. 17, 2024
During his first month at Hanawon, he received documents and photo identification that certified his South Korea citizenship, which the government automatically bestows on all those who flee the North.
From "Escape from Camp 14: One Man's Remarkable Odyssey from North Korea to Freedom in the West" by Blaine Harden
An as-yet unrevealed game-changing power would be bestowed upon one player, but only after they had to blow up the proxy pumpkin scarecrow heads of all but three of the most trustworthy contestants.
From BBC ● Oct. 23, 2026
Set up in 1988 and named after Soviet dissident Andrei Sakharov, the EU prize is bestowed annually on individuals or organisations to recognise their fight for human rights or democracy.
From Barron's ● Oct. 22, 2026
The month before, Putin had bestowed him with a state honor, the Order of Friendship.
From Salon ● Sep. 14, 2026
As a precision-minded songwriter, she bestowed a kind of emotional dignity on everyday characters in hardscrabble circumstances; as a glittering pop persona, she called constant attention to the artifice of her own A-list stardom.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 26, 2026
In her dreams she danced with the beautiful prince, who fed her the most delicious foods she had ever tasted and bestowed one kiss upon her lips every night.
From "Ash" by Malinda Lo
Caesar affected to disdain high office but in 27 B.C. maneuvered the Senate into bestowing upon him, as Agrippa relates, “the dignified honorific of Augustus—‘the Revered One’—close to, but not quite, divine.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 28, 2026
Metro's critic Dave Freak agreed, external, also bestowing four stars.
From BBC ● Aug. 9, 2026
The biggest engines are often installed in pairs or quads, bestowing “Miami Vice”-style speed on large vessels packed with creature comforts.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 27, 2026
She said the moratorium would last until April 2026, while a review committee looks into the "criteria and processes associated with bestowing official funerals".
From BBC ● Jul. 4, 2025
My intent is not to honor these passages as if I were bestowing a prize, nor to hold them up as models for you to emulate.
From "The Sense of Style" by Steven Pinker
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