[Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/w/pew.html)

[home](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) / [dictionaries](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/) / [The school dictionary](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/) / pew

[← P](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/P/)

# pew

«pew» in Mova's school dictionary: **A long wooden bench with a back, where people sit in a…** — its meaning for a pupil, its sense in the lessons and examples.

### part of speech

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

### meaning for a pupil

1) (church) A long wooden bench with a back, where people sit in a church. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/pew/#m1)

2) (informal, UK) A seat: «Take a pew» means «sit down». [tree →](https://md.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://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/pew/#m3)

### sense 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://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/pew/#x1)
- The old church pews are hard to sit on. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/pew/#x2)
- «Come in and take a pew,» said Grandad. [tree →](https://md.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://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/pew/#x4)
- «Pew! Who left their socks here?» [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/pew/#x5)
- The family filled three pews at the christening. [tree →](https://md.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://md.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!»).

### Trees and pragmatics

[Every meaning and example of «pew» parsed by Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/pew/), each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.