brew

[broo]

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

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.

brew

¹

/ 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

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

/ bruː /

noun

1. dialect,  a hill

Other Word Forms

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of brew¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of brew¹

Old English brēowan ; related to Old Norse brugga , Old Saxon breuwan , Old High German briuwan

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

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

   Trouble was brewing.

Example Sentences

In the airy warehouse space, cold brew flows on tap and a pingpong table sits unused.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Xi and South Korean President Lee were also spotted drinking "makgeolli", a traditional Korean rice brew.

Read more on Barron's

A World Bank report this week pointed to an oil supply glut brewing for next year.

Read more on MarketWatch

“There’s a critical crisis that has been brewing for a while, and it’s reaching a fevered pitch.”

Read more on Los Angeles Times

For instance, tea is a major dietary source of flavanols, and the way it is brewed could alter how many of those compounds become available for the body to absorb.

Read more on Science Daily

Related Words

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