stew

[ stoo, styoo ]

/ stu, styu /

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See synonyms for: stew / stewed / stewing on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object)

to cook (food) by simmering or slow boiling.

verb (used without object)

to undergo cooking by simmering or slow boiling.

Informal. to fret, worry, or fuss: He stewed about his chaotic state of affairs all day.

to feel uncomfortable due to a hot, humid, stuffy atmosphere, as in a closed room; swelter.

noun

a preparation of meat, fish, or other food cooked by stewing, especially a mixture of meat and vegetables.

Informal. a state of agitation, uneasiness, or worry.

a brothel; whorehouse.

stews, a neighborhood occupied chiefly by brothels.

Obsolete. a vessel for boiling or stewing.

OTHER WORDS FOR stew

5 casserole, ragout.

See synonyms for stew on Thesaurus.com

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Idioms about stew

stew in one's own juice, to suffer the consequences of one's own actions.

Origin of stew

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English steuen, stuwe “to take a sweat bath,” from Middle French estuver, verbal derivative of estuve “sweat room of a bath”; see origin at stove¹

synonym study for stew

1. See boil¹.

OTHER WORDS FROM stew

stew·a·ble, adjective

Other definitions for stew (2 of 2)

stew²

[ stoo, styoo ]

/ stu, styu /

noun Slang.

a male or female flight attendant.

Origin of stew

An Americanism dating back to 1970–1975; shortening of steward or stewardess

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use stew in a sentence

It takes no real effort to add another fish fillet or two to a sheet pan to roast, double a stew or soup recipe, or bake an additional couple of sweet potatoes, for example.
A crunchy, flavorful salad makes great use of cauliflower or any leftover roasted vegetables|Ellie Krieger|January 14, 2021|Washington Post
If Snoopy was around today, he’d more likely sleep in Charlie Brown’s bed, and dine on organic, cage-free duck stew, served with an herbal supplement to calm his nerves and anxieties.
How America’s love for its cats and dogs built the pet industrial complex|Oliver Staley|January 10, 2021|Quartz
A week’s worth of healthful recipes to jump-start your cooking in the new yearThough this particular iteration of peanut soup was novel to me, groundnut or peanut soups and stews have existed in Africa for generations.
This vegan soup gathers greens, grains and peanut butter in one spicy bowl|Aaron Hutcherson|January 7, 2021|Washington Post
I close my eyes, imagining the aromas in the steaming bowl of beef stew I’m going to make my son for dinner.
How pregnancy bed rest helped prepare me for life in a pandemic|Aileen Weintraub|January 7, 2021|Washington Post

These are great for enchiladas, pot pies, soups, stews, chicken salad, dumplings — the list goes on.
Hints From Heloise: Staples to have on hand in the pantry|Heloise Heloise|November 19, 2020|Washington Post
By stopping and stewing in a perfectly airless state-room 292 I seem to have got rid of the pleurisy.
The Works of Robert Louis Stevenson - Swanston Edition Vol. 25 (of 25)|Robert Louis Stevenson
They require a great deal of stewing, and should be like marmalade when done.
A Poetical Cook-Book|Maria J. Moss
I pictured the group telling stories and roasting apples and stewing grapes and frying oysters over the embers.
Seeing Things at Night|Heywood Broun
The paws took longest of all to cook, but, treated to lengthy stewing, they became quite digestible.
The Home of the Blizzard|Douglas Mawson
If I sat over my surgery fire all day stewing and fretting, a pretty doctor I should soon become for my patients!
The Shadow of Ashlydyat|Mrs. Henry Wood

British Dictionary definitions for stew (1 of 2)

stew¹

/ (stjuː) /

noun

a dish of meat, fish, or other food, cooked by stewing
(as modifier)stew pot

informal a difficult or worrying situation or a troubled state (esp in the phrase in a stew)

a heterogeneous mixturea stew of people of every race

(usually plural) archaic a brothel

obsolete a public room for hot steam baths

verb

to cook or cause to cook by long slow simmering

(intr) informal to be troubled or agitated

(intr) informal to be oppressed with heat or crowding

to cause (tea) to become bitter or (of tea) to become bitter through infusing for too long

stew in one's own juice to suffer unaided the consequences of one's actions

Word Origin for stew

C14 stuen to take a very hot bath, from Old French estuver, from Vulgar Latin extūfāre (unattested), from ex- 1 + (unattested) tūfus vapour, from Greek tuphos

British Dictionary definitions for stew (2 of 2)

stew²

/ (stjuː) /

noun British

a fishpond or fishtank

an artificial oyster bed

Word Origin for stew

C14: from Old French estui, from estoier to shut up, confine, ultimately from Latin studium study

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Idioms and Phrases with stew

stew

In addition to the idiom beginning with stew

stew in one's own juice

also see:

in a stew

stew

OTHER WORDS FOR stew

Idioms about stew

Origin of stew

synonym study for stew

OTHER WORDS FROM stew

Other definitions for stew (2 of 2)

Origin of stew

Words related to stew

How to use stew in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for stew (1 of 2)

Word Origin for stew

British Dictionary definitions for stew (2 of 2)

Word Origin for stew

Other Idioms and Phrases with stew