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.

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Other Word Forms

• understewardship noun

Etymology

Origin of stewardship

First recorded in 1450–1500; steward + -ship

Example Sentences

“Tribal stewardship is so critical for all of us ... the natural resources and everything that we rely on to live healthy, happy lives,” said Geneva E.B.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 17, 2026

What that opened the door for people to think about what it would look like to build things like community land trusts, a kind of common opportunity of stewardship.

From Salon • Mar. 6, 2026

“We began the conversations around a question: What would it look like if the resort were guided by a stewardship model that more fully reflected the long-term interests of the region that depends on it?”

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 1, 2026

Victory said last year’s acquisition of Pioneer from Amundi is an example of its stewardship, having experienced organic growth and being net flow positive since the transaction closed.

From MarketWatch • Feb. 26, 2026

By collective stewardship of the land and a clan-village system of democracy it avoided giving all the political control and decision-making to a single group.

From "An Indigenous People’s History of the United States" by Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz

Related Words

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