(in a church) one of a number of fixed, benchlike seats with backs, accessible by aisles, for the use of the congregation.
an enclosed seat in a church, or an enclosure with seats, usually reserved for a family or other group of worshipers.
those occupying pews; congregation.
one of several long benchlike seats with backs, used by the congregation
an enclosed compartment reserved for the use of a family or other small group
informal a seat (esp in the phrase take a pew )
1350–1400; Middle English puwe < Middle French puie balcony < Latin podia, plural (taken as singular) of podium balcony. See podium
A pew is a long wooden bench with a high back. You'll find many rows of pews in most churches. Some courtrooms have pews, but mostly they're found in churches, as seating for the congregation and sometimes for the members of a choir. After the Protestant Reformation in the sixteenth century, pews first began to appear in churches. Before that they were rare, as sitting and listening to a sermon was uncommon. Many of these earliest pews were paid for by (and considered the property of) individual families. Pew shares a Latin root with podium.
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Every inch of pew space was filled, mostly with young adults.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 3, 2026
Either way, Ms. Mun has us on the edge of our pew.
From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 4, 2025
“We’re not going to let our house burning down keep us from coming here,” Kevin Anderson said from the front pew at a recent Bible study.
From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 28, 2025
A few hours before the memorial service began, Kasselia had been sitting in a pew in his empty church, trying to make sense of it.
From BBC • Feb. 7, 2025
Inside the dark, empty church, I walked to the nearest pew, held onto the edge of the seat, dropped to one knee, and crossed myself.
From "Summer of the Mariposas" by Guadalupe García McCall
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.
