brew
Americanverb (used with object)
-
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.
-
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.
-
to contrive, plan, or bring about.
to brew mischief.
verb (used without object)
-
to make a fermented alcoholic malt beverage, as beer or ale.
-
to boil, steep, soak, or cook.
Wait until the tea brews.
noun
-
a quantity brewed in a single process.
-
a particular brewing or variety of malt liquor.
-
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.
-
Informal.
-
beer or ale.
-
an individual serving of beer or ale.
Let's have a few brews after the game.
-
idioms
verb
-
to make (beer, ale, etc) from malt and other ingredients by steeping, boiling, and fermentation
-
to prepare (a drink, such as tea) by boiling or infusing
-
(tr) to devise or plan
to brew a plot
-
(intr) to be in the process of being brewed
the tea was brewing in the pot
-
(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
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.
Time will tell how important that brew was.
From BBC • Apr. 27, 2026
Using copper to transmit the sound vibrations through the kelp soup, scientists played Huber’s recordings, which triggered something that caused the brew to act like the original.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 18, 2026
Investors also have been paring bets on the Fed’s ability to lower rates as inflation pressures brew and see just one quarter-point reduction between now and the end of the year.
From Barron's • Mar. 16, 2026
Strangers gather in a riverside fire shelter and brew coffee the old way.
From Salon • Mar. 8, 2026
Mac stood at the kitchen counter waiting for the coffee to brew.
From "Eleven" by Tom Rogers
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.
