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Definition of pew
pew
/pjuː/
pew
Plural:pews
pew Lexical Profile
CEFR
B2
Grade
4
Tier
2
Usage
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Wordle Guess
• noun
1
A long wooden bench with a back, typically arranged in rows in the main part of a church to seat the congregation.
Example
"The congregation settled into the carved oak pews before the Sunday morning service began."
2
An enclosed compartment in a traditional church containing seats, historically rented or assigned to a specific family or group.
Example
"The wealthy merchant family paid an annual fee to maintain their private box pew near the front of the cathedral."
Synonyms
View all synonyms for pew• Rhymes for pew
Word Origin & Etymology
From Old French 'puie' (balcony or elevated space), derived from Latin 'podia', the plural of 'podium' (elevated platform, balcony), tracing back to Greek 'podion' (little foot).
Usage Trend
Historical frequency of usage in published text.
180019102020
Data source: Google Books Ngram Viewer
Cite this Entry
Wordmom. (2026). Definition of Pew. In Wordmom Dictionary. Retrieved Oct 16, 2026, from https://wordmom.com/dictionary/pew