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stow

[stoh]
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verb (used with object)
  1. Nautical.
    1. to put (cargo, provisions, etc.) in the places intended for them.
    2. to put (sails, spars, gear, etc.) in the proper place or condition when not in use.
  2. to put in a place or receptacle, as for storage or reserve; pack: He stowed the potatoes in our cellar.
  3. to fill (a place or receptacle) by packing: to stow a carton with books.
  4. to have or afford room for; hold.
  5. Slang. to stop; break off: Stow it! Stow the talk!
  6. to put away, as in a safe or convenient place (often followed by away).
  7. to lodge or quarter.
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Verb Phrases
  1. stow away, to conceal oneself aboard a ship or other conveyance in order to obtain free transportation or to elude pursuers.
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Origin of stow

1300–50; Middle English stowen, Old English stōwigan to keep, hold back (literally, to place), derivative of stōw place; akin to Old Norse eldstō fireplace, Gothic stojan to judge (literally, to place)
Related formsstow·a·ble, adjectivere·stow, verb (used with object)
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
British Dictionary definitions for stow away

stow

verb (tr)
  1. (often foll by away) to pack or store
  2. to fill by packing
  3. nautical to pack or put away (cargo, sails and other gear, etc)
  4. to have enough room for
  5. (usually imperative) British slang to cease fromstow your noise!; stow it!
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Word Origin

Old English stōwian to keep, hold back, from stōw a place; related to Old High German stouwen to accuse, Gothic stōjan to judge, Old Slavonic staviti to place

Stow

noun
  1. John. 1525–1605, English antiquary, noted for his Survey of London and Westminster (1598; 1603)
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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

Word Origin and History for stow away

stow

v.

c.1300, verbal use of Old English noun stow "a place" (common in place names) from Proto-Germanic *stowijanan (cf. Old Frisian sto "place," Middle Low German, Middle Dutch, Dutch stouwen "to stow," Old High German stouwen "to stop, check," German stauen "to stow"), from PIE *stau-, from root *sta- "to stand" (cf. Old Church Slavonic stavljo "to place," Lithuanian stoviu "to stand;" see stet). The nautical sense of "put away to be stored, pack" (1550s) was enforced by Dutch stouwen "to cram, pack up close." Related: Stowed; stowing.

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper

Idioms and Phrases with stow away

stow away

1

Put aside or store something until needed, as in We generally stow away the lawn furniture in the toolshed. [Late 1700s]

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2

Hide oneself aboard ship or in a vehicle in order to get free transportation, as in The youngsters planned to stow away on a freighter but they never even got to the waterfront. This usage gave rise to the noun stowaway. [Mid-1800s]

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2

Greedily consume food or drink, as in Bob sure can stow away a lot in a short time. [Colloquial; mid-1800s]

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The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.