Word forms: 3rd person singular presenttense stows, present participle stowing, past tense, past participle stowed
verb
If you stow something somewhere, you carefully put it there until it is needed.
I helped her stow her bags in the boot of the car. [VERB noun preposition/adverb]
Alistair had carefully folded up the paper and stowed it away under the sacks. [VERB noun preposition/adverb]
[Also VERB noun]
Synonyms: pack, load, put away, store More Synonyms of stow
Phrasal verbs:
See stow away
stow in British English
(stəʊ)
verb(transitive)
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 from
stow your noise!
stow it!
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 in British English
(stəʊ)
noun
John. 1525–1605, English antiquary, noted for his Survey of London and Westminster (1598; 1603)
stow in American English
(stoʊ)
verb transitive
1.
to pack or store away; esp., to pack in an orderly, compact way
2.
to fill by packing in an orderly way
3.
to hold or receive
said of a room, container, etc.
4. Obsolete
to provide lodging for
5. Slang
to stop; cease
stow the chatter!
Idioms:
stow away
Word origin
ME stowen < stowe, a place < OE < IE base *stā-, to stand
Examples of 'stow' in a sentence
stow
And when he departed the clubs were safely stowed away in his car and departed too.
Times, Sunday Times (2007)
The swivel desk is shown stowed away and the ladder can be positioned to the left or right.
Times, Sunday Times (2006)
He had stowed away on a ferry to Dover and was granted refugee status.
Times, Sunday Times (2006)
And it's not just been temporarily detached and stowed in the boot, either.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
It is thought the Sudanese men stowed away in the luggage compartment as the bus waited to board a ferry in Calais.
The Sun (2015)
In other languages
stow
British English: stow VERB
If you stow something somewhere, you carefully put it there until it is needed.
I helped her stow her bags in the boot of the car.
American English: stow
Brazilian Portuguese: guardar
Chinese: 收藏
European Spanish: meter
French: ranger
German: verstauen
Italian: riporre
Japanese: しまい込む
Korean: > 집어넣다조심스럽게
European Portuguese: guardar
Latin American Spanish: meter
(verb)
Definition
to pack or store (something)
I helped her stow her bags in the boot of the car.
Synonyms
pack
They offered me a job packing goods in a warehouse.
load
They had loaded all their equipment into the back of the truck.
put away
store
storing away cash that will come in useful later on
stuff
wallets stuffed with dollars
deposit
You are advised to deposit valuables in the hotel safe.
jam
He jammed his hands into his pockets.
tuck
She folded the letter and tucked it behind a book.
bundle
cram
She crammed her mouth with nuts.
stash (informal)
He had stashed money away in secret offshore bank accounts.
secrete
She secreted the gun in the kitchen cabinet.
phrasal verb
See stow away
Additional synonyms
in the sense of cram
Definition
to force (more people or things) into (a place) than it can hold
She crammed her mouth with nuts.
Synonyms
pack,
fill,
stuff
in the sense of deposit
Definition
to place (money) in a bank account or other savings account
You are advised to deposit valuables in the hotel safe.
Synonyms
store,
keep,
put,
bank,
save,
lodge,
entrust,
consign,
hoard,
stash (informal),
lock away,
put in storage
in the sense of jam
Definition
to wedge (an object) into a tight space or against another object
He jammed his hands into his pockets.
Synonyms
pack,
force,
press,
stuff,
squeeze,
compact,
ram,
wedge,
cram,
compress
Nearby words of
stow
stout
stouthearted
stove
stow
stow away
straddle
straggle
Related terms of
stow
stow away
Synonyms of 'stow'
stow
Explore 'stow' in the dictionary
Additional synonyms
in the sense of load
Definition
to place cargo or goods upon (a ship or vehicle)
They had loaded all their equipment into the back of the truck.
Synonyms
pack,
store,
stuff,
deposit,
stack,
put away,
stow
in the sense of secrete
Definition
to put in a hiding place
She secreted the gun in the kitchen cabinet.
Synonyms
hide,
conceal,
stash (informal),
cover,
screen,
secure,
bury,
harbour,
disguise,
veil,
shroud,
stow,
cache,
stash away (informal)
in the sense of stash
Definition
a secret store, usually of illegal drugs, or the place where this is hidden
He had stashed money away in secret offshore bank accounts.
Synonyms
store,
stockpile,
save up,
hoard,
hide,
secrete,
stow,
cache,
lay up,
salt away,
put aside for a rainy day
in the sense of store
Definition
to keep, set aside, or gather (things) for future use
storing away cash that will come in useful later on
Synonyms
put by,
save,
hoard,
keep,
stock,
husband,
reserve,
deposit,
accumulate,
garner,
stockpile,
put aside,
stash (informal),
salt away,
keep in reserve,
put aside for a rainy day,
lay by or in
in the sense of stuff
Definition
to pack or fill (something) completely
wallets stuffed with dollars
Synonyms
cram,
fill,
pack,
load,
crowd
in the sense of tuck
Definition
to push or fold into a small space or between two surfaces
She folded the letter and tucked it behind a book.