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# pew

noun (a pew, pews); interjection (pew, also pee-yew, informal)

«pew» in the English dictionary: everyday — its meanings, how the lessons use it, and examples, each with its tree on Mova.

## Everyday

1. (church) A long wooden bench with a back, where people sit in a church. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/pew/#m1)
2. (informal, UK) A seat: «Take a pew» means «sit down». [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/pew/#m2)
3. (interjection, informal) A sound people make about a bad smell: «Pew! What stinks?» [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/pew/#m3)

### In the lessons

In church life families sit in the pews; the front pews are for the wedding or funeral family. In British everyday speech «take a pew» is a friendly way to say «have a seat». Children say «pew!» (or «pee-yew») at a smell. Phrases: «take a pew», «the front pew», «church pews».

### Examples

- We sat in the front pew at the wedding. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/pew/#x1)
- The old church pews are hard to sit on. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/pew/#x2)
- «Come in and take a pew,» said Grandad. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/pew/#x3)
- Hymn books are kept in a shelf on the back of each pew. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/pew/#x4)
- «Pew! Who left their socks here?» [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/pew/#x5)
- The family filled three pews at the christening. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/pew/#x6)
- The clear sunshine streamed so warmly through the window into the pew where Karen sat! [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/pew/#x7)

### Note

Countable. Rhymes with «few». «Take a pew» is UK informal. The smell word is also spelled «phew» or «pee-yew» (US); «phew» more often means relief («Phew, we made it!»).

## On Mova

- [Trees and pragmatics of «pew» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/pew/): every meaning and example parsed by Mova, with its dependency tree and frames.
- [«pew» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/w/pew.html) on Mova free.