brew

American  

[broo] / bru /

verb (used with object)

1. to make (beer, ale, etc.) by steeping, boiling, and fermenting malt and hops.

2. to make or prepare (a beverage, as tea) by mixing, steeping, soaking, or boiling a solid in water.

3. to concoct, mix, or cook (a beverage or food, especially one containing unmeasured or unusual ingredients).

   She brewed a pot of soup from the leftovers.

4. to contrive, plan, or bring about.

   to brew mischief.

   Synonyms:

   cook up, hatch, devise, plot, scheme, concoct

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verb (used without object)

1. to make a fermented alcoholic malt beverage, as beer or ale.

2. to boil, steep, soak, or cook.

   Wait until the tea brews.

noun

1. a quantity brewed in a single process.

2. a particular brewing or variety of malt liquor.

3. a hot beverage made by cooking a solid in water, especially tea or coffee.

4. any concoction, especially a liquid produced by a mixture of unusual ingredients.

   a witches' brew.

5. Informal.

   1. beer or ale.

   2. an individual serving of beer or ale.

      Let's have a few brews after the game.

idioms

1. be brewing, to be forming or gathering; be in preparation.

   Trouble was brewing.

brew ¹ British  

/ bruː /

verb

1. to make (beer, ale, etc) from malt and other ingredients by steeping, boiling, and fermentation

2. to prepare (a drink, such as tea) by boiling or infusing

3. (tr) to devise or plan

   to brew a plot

4. (intr) to be in the process of being brewed

   the tea was brewing in the pot

5. (intr) to be impending or forming

   there's a storm brewing

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noun

1. a beverage produced by brewing, esp tea or beer

   a strong brew

2. an instance or time of brewing

   last year's brew

3. a mixture

   an eclectic brew of mysticism and political discontent

brew ² British  

/ bruː /

noun

1. dialect a hill

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Other Word Forms

• brewer noun
• misbrew verb (used with object)
• rebrew verb
• unbrewed adjective
• underbrew verb (used with object)
• well-brewed adjective

Etymology

Origin of brew

before 900; Middle English brewen, Old English brēowan; akin to Dutch brouwen, German brauen, Old Norse brugga

Example Sentences

Big picture: If there were big trouble brewing for the economy, a telltale sign would be rising jobless claims.

From MarketWatch

For several months tension has been brewing in northern Ethiopia as Amhara and Eritrean forces remain present in violation of the peace deal.

From Barron's

It is brewed in Yoker in Glasgow, shipped to China and served from a bar in Beijing where scenes from the film Braveheart play on one large television while Elizabeth I is on another.

From BBC

Overall, the review concludes that tea provides clear health benefits, especially when consumed in its traditional, freshly brewed form.

From Science Daily

Simmer them in brewed black tea or homemade hot chocolate, alongside cinnamon sticks.

From Salon

Related Words

• beverage
• blend
• broth
• distillation
• drink
• liquor
• melange
• mishmash
• mixture
• mélange