noun
stew
styoo
noun
1
A dish of meat and vegetables cooked slowly together in liquid.
"She made a hearty beef stew for dinner."
"The stew simmered on the stove all afternoon."
verb
1
To cook food slowly in liquid over low heat.
"Stew the apples with a little sugar and cinnamon."
2
To worry or fret anxiously about something.
"He spent the whole weekend stewing over the argument."
How to Use Stew
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishA slow-cooked dish, the act of cooking that way, or (informally) dwelling anxiously on a problem.
Common pairings
beef stew
stew in his own juice
let it stew
Word Forms
stewed past tense, stews plural, stews plural, stews singular
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She made a hearty beef _____ for dinner.
Etymology
From Old French estuve, meaning a bathhouse or steam room, later shifted to mean slow cooking.