Bestow
Pronunciation
- US IPA: /bɪˈstoʊ/
- Rhymes: -əʊ
Full definition of bestow
Verb
- (transitive) To lay up in store; deposit for safe keeping; stow; place.
- 1611, King James Bible, Luke 12:17:And he thought within himself, saying, What shall I do, because I have no room where to bestow my fruits.
- 1977, J.R.R. Tolkien, "", HarperCollins, page 358:Of the Three Rings that the Elves had preserved unsullied no open word was ever spoken among the Wise, and few even of the Eldar knew where they were bestowed.
- (transitive) To lodge, or find quarters for; provide with accommodation.
- 1838, Ben Jonson, The works of Ben Jonson:Well, my masters, I'll leave him with you; now I see him bestowed, I'll go look for my goods, and Numps.
- (transitive) To dispose of.
- 1810, Robert Dodsley, Sir Walter Scott, The Ancient British drama:Here are blank warrants of all dispositions; give me but the name and nature of your malefactor, and I'll bestow him according to his merits.
- (transitive) To give; confer; impart gratuitously; present something to someone as a gift or honour.Medals were bestowed on the winning team.
- 2008, J. D. Frazer, Userfriendly.org, “The Large Hadron Collider Gameâ€CERN bestows slush fund on the LHC. Take all pennies from the CERN space.
- 1831, Mary Shelley, Soft tears again bedewed my cheeks, and I even raised my humid eyes with thankfulness towards the blessed sun which bestowed such joy upon me.
- (transitive) To give in marriage.
- (transitive) To apply; make use of; use; employ.
- 1887, John Marston, Arthur Henry Bullen, The Works of John Marston:... I determine to bestow Some time in learning languages abroad; ...
- (transitive, obsolete) To behave or deport.