What does stove mean?
A stove is an appliance used for cooking or heating. In modern homes, the word usually describes a cooking range with burners on top and, commonly, an oven below; gas stove and electric stove are familiar examples. It can also refer to a wood-burning or other freestanding heating appliance, especially in older, rural, or industrial settings. In American English, stove often covers the whole cooking unit, while British English tends to prefer cooker for a domestic cooking appliance. The word entered English in the 17th century from Dutch stoof, meaning a heating or cooking apparatus. Its modern associations are practical and domestic, but its history also includes hearths, workshops, railway carriages, and ships heated by compact stoves. Understanding both meanings explains why a sentence can describe either cooking food or warming a room.
nounAn appliance or apparatus for cooking or heating, typically one with burners and, often, an oven. In older and industrial contexts, the word can also refer to a freestanding heating appliance.
- An appliance used for cooking, with one or more burners and often an oven.
- A heating appliance or furnace, especially in historical, industrial, or technical contexts.
"She left a pot simmering on the gas stove before leaving the house."
"The potatoes were boiling on the stove."
"A wood-burning stove warmed the old farmhouse."
The standard plural of stove is stoves.
"The shop sells wood-burning stoves and compact gas stoves."
The word stove is a Dutch import: English borrowed Dutch stoof for a heating or cooking apparatus in the 17th century.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does stove come from?
The English noun stove entered English in the 17th century, borrowed from Dutch stoof, meaning a heating or cooking apparatus. Dutch stoof developed through Middle Dutch, whose word belonged to a Germanic family associated with rooms, fireplaces, and heated spaces. The same root is reflected in the related English verb stoven and in compounds such as stovepipe and stovebolt.
Related word forms
How stove is actually used
In everyday American English, stove often refers to a complete cooking appliance, including its burners and oven. British English more commonly uses cooker for a domestic cooking appliance, while gas stove and electric stove remain familiar. In historical and technical contexts, stove may refer more broadly to a heating apparatus.