brew
Americanverb (used with object)
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brews,
present (3rd person singular)
-
brewed,
past participle, past
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brewing
present participle
-
to make (beer, ale, etc.) by steeping, boiling, and fermenting malt and hops.
-
to make or prepare (a beverage, as tea) by mixing, steeping, soaking, or boiling a solid in water.
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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.
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to contrive, plan, or bring about.
to brew mischief.
verb (used without object)
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brews,
present (3rd person singular)
-
brewed,
past participle, past
-
brewing
present participle
-
to make a fermented alcoholic malt beverage, as beer or ale.
-
to boil, steep, soak, or cook.
Wait until the tea brews.
noun
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brews
plural
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a quantity brewed in a single process.
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a particular brewing or variety of malt liquor.
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a hot beverage made by cooking a solid in water, especially tea or coffee.
-
any concoction, especially a liquid produced by a mixture of unusual ingredients.
a witches' brew.
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Informal.
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beer or ale.
-
an individual serving of beer or ale.
Let's have a few brews after the game.
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idioms
verb
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to make (beer, ale, etc) from malt and other ingredients by steeping, boiling, and fermentation
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to prepare (a drink, such as tea) by boiling or infusing
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(tr) to devise or plan
to brew a plot
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(intr) to be in the process of being brewed
the tea was brewing in the pot
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(intr) to be impending or forming
there's a storm brewing
noun
-
a beverage produced by brewing, esp tea or beer
a strong brew
-
an instance or time of brewing
last year's brew
-
a mixture
an eclectic brew of mysticism and political discontent
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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brewernoun
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rebrewverb
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misbrewverb (used with object)
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underbrewverb (used with object)
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unbrewedadjective
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well-brewedadjective
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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brewsimple
-
brewssimple
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have brewedperfect
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has brewedperfect
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am brewingprogressive
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are brewingprogressive
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is brewingprogressive
-
have been brewingperfect progressive
-
has been brewingperfect progressive
Past
-
brewedsimple
-
had brewedperfect
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was brewingprogressive
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were brewingprogressive
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had been brewingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of brew
before 900; Middle English brewen, Old English brēowan; akin to Dutch brouwen, German brauen, Old Norse brugga
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:
In the Pacific, the weather phenomenon weakens vertical wind shear that allows storm systems there to brew stronger.
From Barron's ● Oct. 9, 2026
It is often served at meetings and during social visits, with many people taking the hot brew several times a day.
From BBC ● Sep. 4, 2026
I’ll either make an iced Americano with a little bit of almond milk or a cold brew.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 14, 2026
When asked if the scientists were considering using the yeast to brew beer, he responded: "It's on the list."
From Barron's ● Jun. 3, 2026
Tyr called out, “Greetings, Grandmother. We are here to see if we can borrow Hymir’s cauldron to brew our beer.”
From "Norse Mythology" by Neil Gaiman
The rise of nonalcoholic brews, many of which contain trace amounts of alcohol, has prompted consumers and industry officials to push for clearer labeling.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 2, 2026
That means the maker of brews like Modelo, Pacifico and Corona needs to be flexible to meet consumers where they are, he said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 1, 2026
Blue Bottle, by comparison, is a higher-end brand associated with stylish cafes and relatively expensive brews.
From Barron's ● Jun. 1, 2026
Making their early brews from cobbled together kit in Martin's mum's garage, and then in a small industrial unit in Fraserburgh, they were undeterred by the early rejections they faced.
From BBC ● Mar. 6, 2026
From a recipe, old old, she brews this molten gold.
From "Beast Rider" by Tony Johnston & María Elena Fontanot de Rhoads
The company said "priority brands" including Hobgoblin, McEwan's and Brooklyn were expected to remain in its portfolio, but it is unclear where they will be brewed.
From BBC ● Oct. 8, 2026
Regular brewed, non-specialty, caffeinated coffee usually contains 9.4-20.6 mg of caffeine per fluid ounce.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 22, 2026
A little over an hour before the album’s release, Rodrigo played four songs from the album as the room brewed with excitement.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 15, 2026
Thankfully, you’ll find plenty of grilled beef and ice-cold Guaraní pilsner, brewed for the restaurant, to smooth things over.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 11, 2026
Tea it might as well be called; brewed from roasted permgrain, orsh is a brown, sweetsour drink, strong in vitamins A and C, sugar, and a pleasant stimulant related to lobeline.
From "The Left Hand of Darkness" by Ursula K. Le Guin
It is not the first big brewing firm to move operations in the West Midlands.
From BBC ● Oct. 8, 2026
Currently, the company offers a one-hour total body scan that uses its proprietary technology to screen for brewing problems in the blood, skin, and metabolism.
From Slate ● Oct. 8, 2026
On Monday, hundreds of professional stand-up comedians flooded Instagram and TikTok with front-facing videos outlining an issue in the comedy community that had been brewing for months.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 8, 2026
This step is what brought us here, to Ponysaurus, filling out the online notice to the tune of a hissing compressor that kept clean air moving through the brewing system.
From Salon ● Oct. 4, 2026
With the British army moving in and a violent thunderstorm brewing, Madison decided that remaining in the capital was out of the question.
From "In the Shadow of Liberty" by Kenneth C. Davis
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.
