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

But behind the cadre of celebrity sponsors and investors, court documents reveal trouble was brewing inside Aspiration.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Enterprises can shift incremental load from one provider to another for pricing—and there’s a massive price war brewing in cloud computing.

Read more on Barron's

Abu Warda found an old metal kettle and lighted a small fire with scraps of wood, then brewed tea he poured into dented cups and passed around.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Losing last night would’ve sent them back to Philly with their heads way down to play in cold weather, with rainstorms brewing.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

This fear haunts the Tories, and it contributes to a brewing challenge to Ms. Badenoch’s leadership.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

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