bestow
Americanverb (used with object)
-
bestows,
present (3rd person singular)
-
bestowed,
past participle, past
-
bestowing
present participle
-
to present as a gift; give; confer (usually followed by on orupon ).
The trophy was bestowed upon the winner.
-
Archaic. to put to some use; apply.
He was continually working the mines, expending money and bestowing his time, toil, and skill upon them.
-
Archaic.
-
to provide quarters for; house; lodge.
-
to put; stow; deposit; store.
-
verb
-
to present (a gift) or confer (an award or honour)
-
archaic to apply (energy, resources, etc)
-
archaic to house (a person) or store (goods)
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
-
bestowalnoun
-
bestowernoun
-
bestowmentnoun
-
prebestowalnoun
-
misbestowverb (used with object)
-
prebestowverb (used with object)
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
bestowsimple
-
bestowssimple
-
have bestowedperfect
-
has bestowedperfect
-
am bestowingprogressive
-
are bestowingprogressive
-
is bestowingprogressive
-
have been bestowingperfect progressive
-
has been bestowingperfect progressive
Past
-
bestowedsimple
-
had bestowedperfect
-
was bestowingprogressive
-
were bestowingprogressive
-
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
The Vocabulary.com Top 1000
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
List 2
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
100 SAT Words Beginning with "B"
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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:
“As long as mankind shall continue to bestow more liberal applause on their destroyers than on their benefactors,” he reflected, “the thirst of military glory will ever be the vice of the most exalted characters.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 31, 2026
She had traveled to the basilica from her home in Tabasco state to beg Guadalupe to bestow on her at least one child.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 12, 2025
Australians demand success against Australia to bestow respect upon an opposing player.
From BBC ● Dec. 4, 2025
Twenty-one percent of managers say Tesla is the market’s most richly valued stock, while 13% bestow the “honor” on Nvidia.
From Barron's ● Oct. 23, 2025
“My shoes. Black Chuck Taylor All Stars. They bestow their wearer with both speed and flight.”
From "Ready Player One: A Novel" by Ernest Cline
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
His followers do seem to love it when he bestows some juvenile nickname on one of his rivals.
From Salon ● Mar. 13, 2024
By not repeating them, he will be able to make men feel secure and win them over with the benefits he bestows upon them.
From "The Prince" by Niccolò Machiavelli
The month before, Putin had bestowed him with a state honor, the Order of Friendship.
From Salon ● Sep. 14, 2026
As a precision-minded songwriter, she bestowed a kind of emotional dignity on everyday characters in hardscrabble circumstances; as a glittering pop persona, she called constant attention to the artifice of her own A-list stardom.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 26, 2026
The Sharks won the league title in Finch’s second year in charge, and his own players marveled at the defensive superpowers he bestowed on them.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 12, 2026
Dame Mary Berry will be bestowed with Bafta's highest honorary award, the Bafta Fellowship, while Martin Lewis will receive the Special Award.
From BBC ● May 9, 2026
However, the executive order only bestowed temporary legal presence and work authorization.
From "Americanized" by Sara Saedi
Caesar affected to disdain high office but in 27 B.C. maneuvered the Senate into bestowing upon him, as Agrippa relates, “the dignified honorific of Augustus—‘the Revered One’—close to, but not quite, divine.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 28, 2026
In addition to bestowing upon us the greatest of all human attributes—empathy—books also compel us to read in ever widening circles.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 13, 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
In a speech during last year’s show, Beyoncé’s husband, Jay-Z, chastised the Recording Academy for bestowing his wife with dozens of genre awards while withholding album of the year.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 2, 2025
He pressed his lips to the pearl handles of his prized revolvers, bestowing each with a mournful kiss.
From "Six of Crows" by Leigh Bardugo
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.
