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• pew
  pew

  noun

  (in a church) one of a number of fixed, benchlike seats with backs, accessible by aisles, for the use of the congregation.
• PEW
  PEW

  abbreviation

  possibly extinct in the wild.

pew

¹ American  

[pyoo] / pyu /

noun

1. (in a church) one of a number of fixed, benchlike seats with backs, accessible by aisles, for the use of the congregation.

2. an enclosed seat in a church, or an enclosure with seats, usually reserved for a family or other group of worshipers.

3. those occupying pews; congregation.

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PEW ² American  

abbreviation

Biology, Ecology.

1. possibly extinct in the wild.

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pew British  

/ pjuː /

noun

1. 1. one of several long benchlike seats with backs, used by the congregation

   2. an enclosed compartment reserved for the use of a family or other small group

2. informal a seat (esp in the phrase take a pew )

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Etymology

Origin of pew

1350–1400; Middle English puwe < Middle French puie balcony < Latin podia, plural (taken as singular) of podium balcony. See podium

Explanation

A pew is a long wooden bench with a high back. You'll find many rows of pews in most churches. Some courtrooms have pews, but mostly they're found in churches, as seating for the congregation and sometimes for the members of a choir. After the Protestant Reformation in the sixteenth century, pews first began to appear in churches. Before that they were rare, as sitting and listening to a sermon was uncommon. Many of these earliest pews were paid for by (and considered the property of) individual families. Pew shares a Latin root with podium.

Example Sentences

But the Pew Research Center reports that scams are common among all age groups.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 27, 2026

A 2025 Pew Research Center poll found that 48% of Americans have a favorable view of the court, down from 70% five years earlier.

From Salon • Apr. 25, 2026

It remains a complex picture, according to Pew Research Center.

From BBC • Apr. 15, 2026

They hope to live even longer: Those 80 and older, on average, aspire to live to 93, according to the Pew Research Center.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 13, 2026

The nonprofit Pew Charitable Trusts reports that prison populations in at least ten states are expected to increase by 25 percent or more between 2006 and 2011.

From "The New Jim Crow" by Michelle Alexander