To stew means to cook something slowly in liquid at a low temperature. When you stew meat and vegetables, they simmer gently for hours in broth or sauce, becoming tender and flavorful. The long, slow cooking breaks down tough ingredients and blends flavors together. Your grandmother might stew chicken with carrots and potatoes, creating a warm, comforting meal.

The word also describes worrying about something for a long time without doing anything about it. When you stew over a problem, you think about it repeatedly, letting it bother you. If your friend is mad at you and you spend all afternoon replaying the argument in your mind, you're stewing about it. Someone might tell you to stop stewing and talk to your friend directly.

As a noun, a stew is the dish itself: a thick soup made by stewing ingredients together. Beef stew, lamb stew, and vegetable stew are classic examples. The ingredients cook so long in the liquid that everything becomes soft and the flavors meld into something delicious. Stews have been warming people up on cold days for thousands of years, and almost every culture has its own version.