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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Those interested in trail patrol, preserve steward or community outreach should attend interpretive host training. —
Anne Gelhaus, The Mercury News, 22 Dec. 2024 The best leaders act as stewards of innovation, helping transform raw ideas into actionable strategies. —Paola Cecchi-Dimeglio, Forbes, 17 Dec. 2024
Asking donors to spread the word about the impact of your mission can be a wonderful way to steward them and recruit other like-minded individuals. —Expert Panel®, Forbes, 21 Oct. 2024 Say hello — again — to the Government Accountability Office, the hawkish auditor of the federal government that clawed back $70 billion from agencies in fiscal 2023 as part of hundreds of actions to properly steward federal funds. —Kathryn Anne Edwards, The Mercury News, 24 Nov. 2024 See all Example Sentences for steward 
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 31 Dec. 2024.
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Last Updated: 30 Dec 2024 - Updated example sentences
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