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View synonyms for

stew

1

[ stoo, styoo ]

verb (used with object)

  1. to cook (food) by simmering or slow boiling.


verb (used without object)

  1. to undergo cooking by simmering or slow boiling.
  2. Informal. to fret, worry, or fuss:

    He stewed about his chaotic state of affairs all day.

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

noun

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

    Synonyms: ,

  2. Informal. a state of agitation, uneasiness, or worry.
  3. stews, a neighborhood occupied chiefly by brothels.
  4. Obsolete. a vessel for boiling or stewing.

stew

2

[ stoo, styoo ]

noun

Slang.
  1. a male or female flight attendant.

stew

1

/ ː /

noun

    1. a dish of meat, fish, or other food, cooked by stewing
    2. ( as modifier )

      stew pot

  1. informal.
    a difficult or worrying situation or a troubled state (esp in the phrase in a stew )
  2. a heterogeneous mixture

    a stew of people of every race

  3. archaic.
    usually plural a brothel
  4. obsolete.
    a public room for hot steam baths
“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

verb

  1. to cook or cause to cook by long slow simmering
  2. informal.
    intr to be troubled or agitated
  3. informal.
    intr to be oppressed with heat or crowding
  4. to cause (tea) to become bitter or (of tea) to become bitter through infusing for too long
  5. stew in one's own juice
    to suffer unaided the consequences of one's actions
“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

stew

2

/ ː /

noun

  1. a fishpond or fishtank
  2. an artificial oyster bed
“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
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Other Word Forms

  • ٱa· adjective
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Word History and Origins

Origin of stew1

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”; stove 1

Origin of stew2

An Americanism dating back to 1970–1975; shortening of steward ( def ) or stewardess ( def )
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Word History and Origins

Origin of stew1

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

Origin of stew2

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

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

More idioms and phrases containing stew

In addition to the idiom beginning with stew , also see in a stew .
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Synonym Study

See boil 1.
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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

Instead of voicing their concerns to their respective partners, Chris and Angela let their feelings stew, only venting to each other privately.

From

The favorite at 2-1 is Irish stew, that hearty concoction of lamb, potatoes and vegetable.

From

After cooking meals such as rice and stew, they deliver the food to people in shelters.

From

After the rich and hearty stews of winter, I am craving lighter textures and brighter flavors, and everything I see — little green peas, thin spiky asparagus, feathery fronds of fennel — I want.

From

I was tired of winter desserts, of fudgy cakes and stewed fruits, of warm spices clinging to everything like a wool coat.

From

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Related Words

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.

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