stew

¹ American  

[stoo, styoo] / stu, styu /

verb (used with object)

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

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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:

   ragout, casserole

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

3. a brothel; whorehouse.

4. stews, a neighborhood occupied chiefly by brothels.

5. Obsolete. a vessel for boiling or stewing.

idioms

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

stew ² American  

[stoo, styoo] / stu, styu /

noun

Slang.

1. a male or female flight attendant.

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stew ¹ British  

/ stjuː /

noun

1. 1. a dish of meat, fish, or other food, cooked by stewing

   2. ( as modifier )

      stew pot

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

3. a heterogeneous mixture

   a stew of people of every race

4. archaic (usually plural) a brothel

5. obsolete a public room for hot steam baths

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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. to suffer unaided the consequences of one's actions

stew ² British  

/ stjuː /

noun

1. a fishpond or fishtank

2. an artificial oyster bed

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stew More Idioms  

More idioms and phrases containing stew

• in a stew

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Related Words

See boil ¹.

Other Word Forms

• stewable adjective

Etymology

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. )

Example Sentences

The 76-year-old offers his diners traditional Iranian cuisine like gondi -- chicken dumplings with chickpeas -- and ghormeh sabzi -- a herby meat stew.

From Barron's • Mar. 13, 2026

The stew of issues bubbling through the transactions is why most of the rank and file at CNN rooted for Netflix to prevail in its bidding for Warner Bros.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 5, 2026

They arrived to cheers from crowds waving Welsh flags and holding bunches of daffodils, before sipping hot drinks and chatting to people making signs, baking cakes and making traditional stew in preparation for the festivities.

From BBC • Mar. 1, 2026

A braised beef ragù that’s great on top of pasta or a creamy polenta, or as a stew if you add more vegetables.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 6, 2026

“So,” said the witch, blocking the path to the stew, “the trouble has begun.”

From "Rump: The (Fairly) True Story of Rumpelstilskin" by Liesl Shurtliff

Related Words

• boil
• fret
• fume
• seethe
• simmer