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

There were pictures from the pews, most notably of the gaggle of tech titans who have taken to following Trump around, from Mar-a-Lago to D.C., throwing laurels at his feet and offering him sacrificial gestures. —Vinson Cunningham, The New Yorker, 20 Jan. 2025

When Bush entered the pew with the other presidents, Obama stood for him, but President-elect Trump and the incoming first lady, Melania Trump, both stayed seated. —Sarah Fortinsky, The Hill, 9 Jan. 2025

In the church, sit in a box pew and listen to a short presentation about the founding of Old North, the lantern story and the church’s role in the American Revolution. —Kim Foley MacKinnon, Forbes, 3 Jan. 2025

The church's first two pews were filled by former presidents and their spouses, including President Joe Biden, first lady Jill Biden, along with President-elect Donald Trump and his wife, Melania, and Vice President Kamala Harris and her husband, Doug Emhoff, in the front row. —Phillip M. Bailey, USA TODAY, 9 Jan. 2025

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