Brew means to make a drink by soaking something in hot water. When you brew tea, you pour hot water over tea leaves and let them steep until the water absorbs their flavor and color. Coffee is brewed in a similar way: hot water passes through ground coffee beans, extracting their rich taste and caffeine.

Brew can also describe something forming or developing, usually something troublesome. When dark clouds gather and the wind picks up, someone might say a storm is brewing. When two friends start arguing and you sense a bigger fight coming, trouble is brewing between them. A witch in a fairy tale might brew a potion in her cauldron, stirring mysterious ingredients together.

The noun brew refers to the drink itself. You might offer someone “a fresh brew” of coffee, or describe root beer as “a sweet brew.”