pew

noun

ˈpyü 

1

: a compartment in the auditorium of a church providing seats for several persons

2

: one of the benches with backs and sometimes doors fixed in rows in a church

Examples of pew in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

But demographic trends are setting up a collision course with young people in the pews. —Ryan Struyk, CNN, 20 Sep. 2024

Calloway has seen gentrification change other neighborhoods in South L.A., leaving fewer worshipers in church pews. —Dakota Smith, Los Angeles Times, 1 Sep. 2024

After a company spokesperson made the announcement in a small Wallace church, community members seated in the pews burst into jubilant cheers. —Seth Freed Wessler, ProPublica, 9 Aug. 2024

The archdiocese currently plans to close the church as part of Seek the City to Come, its campaign to reconfigure the footprint of the Catholic church in Baltimore City amid declining numbers in the pews, shrunken revenues and soaring maintenance costs. —Jonathan M. Pitts, Baltimore Sun, 2 Aug. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English pewe, from Middle French dialect (Picardy) puie balustrade, from Latin podia, plural of podium parapet, podium, from Greek podion base, diminutive of pod-, pous foot — more at foot

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

pew

noun

ˈpyü 

: one of the benches with backs and sometimes doors set in rows in a church