stewardship

American  

[stoo-erd-ship, styoo-] / ˈstu ərd ʃɪp, ˈstyu- /

noun

1. the position and duties of a steward, a person who acts as the surrogate of another or others, especially by managing property, financial affairs, an estate, etc.

2. the responsible overseeing and protection of something considered worth caring for and preserving.

   New regulatory changes will result in better stewardship of lands that are crucial for open space and wildlife habitat.

---

Other Word Forms

• understewardship
  noun

Etymology

Origin of stewardship

First recorded in 1450–1500; steward + -ship

Explanation

Stewardship means the management or care of something, particularly the kind that works. If your company is making money, there’s probably been careful stewardship — or, a lot of luck. The sphere or responsibility of a steward (as in a manager or administrator), stewardship is often used to mean "the care, handling and management of resources." Your school requires stewardship to make sure its supplies aren’t stretched. Your clean water may be thanks to the stewardship of an environmental office. Though there is a steward on a ship to handle food and supplies, the ship in stewardship is not a seagoing vessel; it's just a suffix.

Example Sentences

Discovery is expected to come under Paramount Skydance’s ownership, placing TCM under the stewardship of David Ellison, a man who many in Hollywood also consider to be a cultural philistine.

From Salon • May 8, 2026

The quarterly results are the first under Abel’s stewardship of the company, after he took over for Warren Buffett in January.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 2, 2026

This perspective aligns with growing global efforts to restore ecosystems, support Indigenous stewardship, and use technology to strengthen connections between people and nature.

From Science Daily • Apr. 19, 2026

JC: Talking about stewardship and preservation, tell us about your current indexing project of Black homes here in the neighborhood.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 13, 2026

What account would we give of our stewardship of the planet Earth?

From "Cosmos" by Carl Sagan

Related Words

• administration
• care
• control
• governance
• government
• handling
• operation
• oversight
• supervision