stowing

stowing is the present participle and gerund of stow.

Noun

stowing (usually uncountable, plural stowings)

(usually) A method of working in which the waste is packed into the space formed by excavating the vein.
- To render these stoppings effective, they must be built of brick or stone, and plastered with lime, and also supported at one or both sides by stowings of rubbish to provide against the effect of explosions.1848, Matthias Dunn, A treatise on the winning and working of collieries
(usually) The act by which something is stowed; stowage.
- Very often, the bales have to be subitted to several transshipments and stowings, for which reason the bales do not all arrive at destination in good condition.1895, United States Congressional serial set, number 3402, page 24

stow (third-person singular simple present stows, present participle stowing, simple past and past participle stowed)

(transitive) To put something away in a compact and tidy manner, in its proper place, or in a suitable place.
(transitive) To store or pack something in a space-saving manner and over a long time.
- Yet everybody knows that a cargo properly stowed in a seaworthy craft reaches market in much the better condition than by rail, though perhaps it is some hours longer on the way.1922, James A. Cooper, Sheila of Big Wreck Cove
(transitive) To arrange, pack, or fill something tightly or closely.
(transitive) To dispose of, lodge, or hide somebody somewhere.
- Ar.[…]The Marriners all vnder hatches ſtowed, / Who, with a Charme ioynd to their ſuffred labour / I haue left aſleep :[…]1610–1611 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tempest”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published...
(obsolete, slang, transitive) To cease; to stop doing something.
- But when I strove my flame to tell, / Says she, 'Come, stow that patter, / If you're a cove wot likes a gal, / Vy don't you stand some gatter?' / In course I instantly complied— / Two brimming quarts of porter, / With sev'ral goes of gin beside, / Drain'd Bet the Coaley's daughter.Bet the Coaley's Daughter (traditional song)

plural	stowings

What does stowing mean?: Stowing means a method of working in which the waste is packed into the space formed by excavating the vein.
What is stowing the present participle and gerund of?: Stowing is the present participle and gerund of stow.
What part of speech is stowing?: Stowing is a noun.
What is the plural of stowing?: The plural of stowing is stowings.

Adapted from Wiktionary: stowing (page history and authors); stow (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

Last updated: 2026-09-02

Cite this entry: “stowing.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/stowing. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.