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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List 2
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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:
“When he talks, everyone stops and listens because he’s going to bestow some concept that will change the way they think,” said Rich Caccappolo, vice chairman of media for the Daily Mail General Trust.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 8, 2026
“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
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
The president also told reporters that he’d always wanted to be honored by the Kennedy Center, joking that he muscled his way into the institution to bestow the award on himself.
From Salon ● Aug. 13, 2025
“How can I lose men I do not have? I had hoped to bestow Winterfell on a northman, you may recall. A son of Eddard Stark. He threw my offer in my face.”
From "A Dance with Dragons" by George R. R. Martin
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
The Polish Order of the White Eagle bestowed on Zelensky in 2023 by then President Andrzej Duda can be revoked if he is deemed to have "committed an act making them unworthy" of the honour.
From BBC ● Jun. 10, 2026
Britain’s Prince Harry bestowed its name on the athletic games he created for wounded soldiers.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 22, 2026
The name “Atatürk,” bestowed by Turkey’s Grand National Assembly in 1934, means “Father of the Turks,” and it is Ms. Hansen’s argument that Mr. Erdogan is committing ideological patricide.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 30, 2026
Their impeccable hearing and quick thinking were rewarded by the Austrian emperor, who bestowed the pretzel bakers with their own coat of arms featuring two lions holding a massive pretzel.
From Salon ● Apr. 28, 2026
As though something in their family genes had bestowed on them compulsory bumps that appeared randomly on different parts of their bodies.
From "The God of Small Things" by Arundhati Roy
The isolated image of Judas bestowing a traitor’s kiss on Jesus is especially arresting.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 14, 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
In front of a crowd of attendees at the council hall on Monday, they were handed plaques by the mayor bestowing them with the status of "Adopted Sons of A Coruña".
From BBC ● Feb. 25, 2025
The band earned 30 Top 40 hits in its lifetime, with the Recording Academy bestowing the Grammy Legend Award in 2003 and a Lifetime Achievement Award in 2015.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 19, 2024
But in the presence of their subjects, King Hamlet and Queen Gertrude were yoked to each other in rule and in love, bestowing all their pride on their son.
From "Ophelia" by Lisa Klein
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
