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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] / pju /

noun

• pews
  plural

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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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• pews
  plural

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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

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Explanation

A pew is a long wooden bench with a 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 16th century, pews 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

See Examples For:

pew PEW pews

Like nearly everyone I grew up around in this corner of Pennsylvania, Sundays in our house were a congregation in green, and I was the lone holdout in the pew, quietly pulling for New England.

From Salon ● Sep. 9, 2026

This column is a sacred space, where consumers and not investors have the front pew.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 11, 2026

Sitting in the pew, on its own, does nothing.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 19, 2026

A few hours before the memorial service began, Kasselia had been sitting in a pew in his empty church, trying to make sense of it.

From BBC ● Feb. 7, 2025

Seated in a pew in the rear of the spacious temple, Celaena kept her mouth closed so tightly that it hurt.

From "Throne of Glass" by Sarah J. Maas

A 2018 study from the PEW research group showed, in Belgium, that of the 83% that say they were raised Christian, only 55% still consider themselves so.

From Seattle Times ● Jun. 22, 2023

Although Christianity is waning in the U.S., it is growing globally, with PEW projecting another 750 million Christians in total by 2050.

From Salon ● Sep. 5, 2021

The PEW Research Center reported a staggering 1.1 million illegal immigrants in New York City in 2016.

From Fox News ● Oct. 19, 2019

This week, polling by the PEW Research Center confirmed out mixed emotions about the subject.

From Washington Times ● Oct. 18, 2017

Then, the tap-tapping of Pew's stick is hear without; the key is put into the lock; and enter PEW, C., he pockets key, and is followed by KIT, with dark lantern PEW.

From Plays of William E. Henley and R.L. Stevenson by William Ernest Henley

The pews inside the San Juan Bautista church in Urda, in the central province of Toledo, were packed, while dozens more people gathered outside to listen to the service.

From Barron's ● Oct. 31, 2026

Along with the technicolor mural, Caland’s singular sensibility persists in scattered drawings, a bouquet of her preferred 30-inch paintbrushes and a pair of stiff-backed pews.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 21, 2026

NEW YORK—For years, churches have worried about empty pews.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 3, 2026

They were placed on pews for them to take home.

From BBC ● Apr. 15, 2026

Not like the church at home, painted white with pews inside.

From "Finding Langston" by Lesa Cline-Ransome

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