Definition of STEWARD (original) (raw)

1

: one employed in a large household or estate to manage domestic concerns (such as the supervision of servants, collection of rents, and keeping of accounts)

4

a

: an employee on a ship, airplane, bus, or train who manages the provisioning of food and attends passengers

b

: one appointed to supervise the provision and distribution of food and drink in an institution

5

: one who actively directs affairs : manager

Synonyms

Examples of steward in a Sentence

Noun

the steward of their investments teaching our children to be good stewards of the land the steward of the estate The race stewards are reviewing the results. Verb

will steward the city's library programs

Recent Examples on the Web

The stewards of the SS United States are out of time, and pointing fingers. —Isaac Avilucea, Axios, 12 Sep. 2024 Long before the advent of Western cinema, Native Americans were stewards of these lands, and their knowledge of the terrain and cattle handling was fundamental to the survival and success of ranching. —Essence, 2 Sep. 2024

The data holding entities [such as hospitals] under HIPAA have an obligation to steward the information that's in their control. —Seth Joseph, Forbes, 4 Sep. 2024 The state is pushing for regenerative tourism, where travelers help steward the islands and natural resources are properly managed and protected. —Kathleen Wong, USA TODAY, 1 Aug. 2024 See all Example Sentences for steward

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'steward.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English, from Old English stīweard, from stī, stig hall, sty + weard ward — more at sty, ward

First Known Use

Noun

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1621, in the meaning defined at transitive sense

Time Traveler

The first known use of steward was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near steward

Cite this Entry

“Steward.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/steward. Accessed 19 Sep. 2024.

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Last Updated: 18 Sep 2024 - Updated example sentences

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