(in a church) one of a number of fixed, benchlike seats with backs, accessible by aisles, for the use of the congregation.
an enclosed seat in a church, or an enclosure with seats, usually reserved for a family or other group of worshipers.
those occupying pews; congregation.
one of several long benchlike seats with backs, used by the congregation
an enclosed compartment reserved for the use of a family or other small group
informal a seat (esp in the phrase take a pew )
1350–1400; Middle English puwe < Middle French puie balcony < Latin podia, plural (taken as singular) of podium balcony. See podium
A pew is a long wooden bench with a high back. You'll find many rows of pews in most churches. Some courtrooms have pews, but mostly they're found in churches, as seating for the congregation and sometimes for the members of a choir. After the Protestant Reformation in the sixteenth century, pews first began to appear in churches. Before that they were rare, as sitting and listening to a sermon was uncommon. Many of these earliest pews were paid for by (and considered the property of) individual families. Pew shares a Latin root with podium.
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Every inch of pew space was filled, mostly with young adults.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 3, 2026
Sitting in the pew, on its own, does nothing.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 19, 2026
Iskef's family, sitting in a pew near the front, were consumed by grief.
From BBC • Feb. 7, 2025
Then, she chuckled and said of some comforts added about two months ago: “The new pew cushions didn’t last long.”
From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 12, 2025
I sit in a pew near the back for a long time, staring at the stained glass behind the altar.
From "Water for Elephants" by Sara Gruen
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.
