dew

1 of 2

noun

ˈdü How to pronounce dew (audio)
 also  ˈdyü
1
meteorology : moisture condensed upon the surfaces of cool bodies especially at night
wet with morning dew
2
: something resembling dew in purity, freshness, or power to refresh
… the golden dew of sleep …William Shakespeare
3
: moisture especially when appearing in minute droplets: such as
a
: tears
b
: sweat
c
botany : droplets of water produced by a plant in transpiration
dew transitive verb
dewless
ˈdü-ləs How to pronounce dew (audio)
 also  ˈdyü-
adjective

DEW

2 of 2

abbreviation

distant early warning

Examples of dew in a Sentence

Noun The grass was wet with the morning dew.
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
Surface hoar is created when water vapor is deposited on the snow surface, like dew. Lisa M. Krieger, The Mercury News, 18 Jan. 2024 Choose from a number of colors, including dew and lupine. Amy Schulman, Peoplemag, 8 Dec. 2023 Dewdrop, who leads the Waltz of the Flowers, has five entrances altogether — short bursts of ravishing, effervescent dancing, with turns and jumps that appear and disappear as quickly as a dew falling from a petal. Gia Kourlas, New York Times, 22 Dec. 2023 Here, the room erupted with wildflowers — poppies dappled with dew, dandelions unfurling yellow. Serhiy Morgunov, Washington Post, 24 Dec. 2023 Thick pillows of fog roll onshore and coat the leaves of rare plants with dew. Soumya Karlamangla Sinna Nasseri, New York Times, 2 Dec. 2023 A day before, Mei Xiang propped up against a tree while eating breakfast, wiping morning dew off bamboo leaves. Olivia Diaz, Washington Post, 9 Nov. 2023 Say hello to softer, suppler skin that looks as fresh as morning dew. Mia Meltzer, Rolling Stone, 31 Oct. 2023 As any Vermonter could tell you, back in May there was an infamous night of frost when there should have been spring warmth and gentle dew, and on that night all the apple blossoms were blasted from the bough. Emma Brewer, The New Yorker, 19 Oct. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'dew.' 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 dēaw; akin to Old High German tou dew, Greek thein to run

First Known Use

Noun

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of dew was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near dew

Cite this Entry

“Dew.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dew. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

dew

noun
1
: moisture that collects on the surfaces of cool bodies at night
2
: something resembling dew in purity, freshness, or power to refresh
dewy
ˈd(y)ü-ē
adjective

More from Merriam-Webster on dew

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