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beef stew

beef stew

9 1.0
A dish of beef cooked slowly with vegetables in liquid
  • noun
  • /biːf stuː/
translation icon : estofado de carne
  • For dinner, we enjoyed a warm bowl of beef stew with carrots and potatoes.
  • beef stew dinner
  • pot of beef stew
  • beef stew with vegetables

Examples

  • The too-quiet flat had a wonderful aroma of beef stew.

    Fiction book (1997)
  • In this place I recommend the beef stew.

  • - I hope you like beef stew.

  • Oh, I love beef stew.

  • We'll open a can of beef stew and heat it.

    Fiction book (1991)
  • I am especially looking forward to the beef stew, which is a family favorite.

    Blog text (24)
  • I'm sorry, but I asked for the beef stew.

  • Wherever we take him, if the restaurant has beef stew on the menu, he orders it.

    Academic text (2005)
  • I made the taco soup last night and the beef stew tonight; both were a big hit in my house!

    Blog text (24)
  • It's tasty and not some mushy beef stew or salty lasagna you may have tried while camping.

    Blog text (5)

Synonyms

stew
vsbeef stew
110 1.0

A dish of meat or fish and vegetables cooked slowly in liquid

focuses on one meat type rather than any meat or fish mix
chili
vsbeef stew
  • US
84 1.5

A thick spicy stew with meat and beans often made with hot peppers

is spicy and uses beans unlike the plain slow cooked meat and vegetable dish
pottage
vsbeef stew
  • Archaic
2 9.9

A thick soup or stew made from vegetables and sometimes meat, often eaten in the past

is often vegetable centered and historical rather than a meat focused slow dish
hot pot
vsbeef stew
  • UK
1 2.7

A stew of meat and potatoes cooked slowly in a covered pot

uses a covered pot and focuses on potatoes rather than general vegetables
beef goulash
vsbeef stew
1 3.5

A thick stew of beef and paprika slowly cooked for a rich, warm meal

cooks meat slowly without the initial browning or specific paprika flavor
hearty stew
vsbeef stew
1 2.7

A thick, filling soup with meat and vegetables, often with beans or rice

focuses on being thick and very filling rather than just meat cooked slowly
hotpot
vsbeef stew
  • UK
1 3.3

A stew of meat and potatoes cooked slowly in a covered pot

stresses the specific pot method and potato pairing rather than general slow meat dishes
mulligan stew
vsbeef stew
  • US
1 8.4

A thick dish people make from whatever meat and vegetables they have

is improvised from whatever is at hand rather than a single defined meat recipe
beef Bourguignonne
vsbeef stew
8.3

A French dish of beef cooked slowly in red wine with mushrooms and onions

uses slow cooking but without the specific wine and mushroom profile
boeuf Bourguignonne
vsbeef stew
8.9

A French beef stew cooked with red wine, mushrooms, and onions

is the general slow cooked meat dish without the wine or regional style
Belgian beef stew
vsbeef stew
3.4

A dish of beef slowly cooked in beer with garlic and served with boiled potatoes

is the broader slow cooked meat recipe without beer or that regional garnish
savory stew
vsbeef stew
  • US
1.8

A hot dish where meat and vegetables cook slowly in a tasty liquid

emphasizes seasoned broth rather than plain slow cooking
hotchpotch
vsbeef stew
  • Archaic
8.9

A thick soup with meat and vegetables

is a general mixed dish rather than one focused on a single meat type

How Tender

pulled pork
5 2.4
beef stew
9 1.0
roast beef
26 1.0
steak
474 1.0

Surface Forms

beef stew singular
beef stews plural

Morphology

beef + stew

The meaning of 'beef stew' is directly and transparently derived from combining 'beef' (meat from a cow) with 'stew' (a dish simmered with meat and vegetables): it denotes a stew made with beef. This simple noun–noun food compound follows common compositional patterns (cross-linguistically frequent) and contains no metaphorical shift, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents will readily infer the meaning.

Etymology

Beef stew comes from a simple, literal image: pieces of beef are slowly cooked in a pot with vegetables until tender and tasty, so the phrase means a slow-cooked beef and vegetable dish.