What does stowed mean?
Stowed is the past tense and past participle of stow, a verb meaning to place something away for safekeeping or to pack it into a limited space. It often appears in practical contexts involving luggage, cargo, equipment, or supplies, as in statements that goods were stowed below deck or gear was stowed in the cabin. The expression stowed away has a more specific meaning: it describes a person who secretly hides aboard a ship or another form of transport. Such a concealed passenger is called a stowaway, a word that also appears in legal and historical accounts of unauthorized travel. Stowed carries a generally formal or technical tone, especially in maritime and aviation usage, although it is also familiar in everyday descriptions of packing. Its usefulness lies in combining the concrete idea of putting something away with the more vivid possibility of concealment. The word therefore describes both ordinary acts of organization and the striking, slightly clandestine act of hiding in a place where one is not meant to be.
verbStowed is the past tense and past participle of stow, meaning to put something away for safekeeping, often in a confined space. In the phrase stow away, it means to hide oneself aboard a ship or other transport.
- To put something away for safekeeping, especially in a storage place, compartment, or vehicle.
- To load or pack something into a confined space.
- To conceal oneself aboard a ship or other transport, as in stowed away.
"The sailors stowed the supplies below deck before the storm reached the coast."
"The crew stowed the luggage in the forward compartment."
"The passenger stowed away beneath the deck and was discovered the following morning."
Stowed away describes not only luggage but a person concealed for an unauthorized journey—and gave us the dramatic word stowaway.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does stowed come from?
Stowed comes from the English verb stow, which developed through Middle English from earlier English usage associated with placing something in a place or position. The noun stowage and the compound stowaway were formed from the same verbal stem, reflecting the meanings of storing goods and concealing a person on board. The word belongs to a wider family of English vocabulary connected with placing, lodging, and storing things.
Related word forms
How stowed is actually used
Stow is common in formal, technical, maritime, and aviation contexts. Stow away is idiomatic when someone hides aboard a ship or vehicle without permission; the phrase can also refer to concealment in other restricted spaces.
Easily confused with stowed
Stowed means put away or stored and is pronounced /stoʊd/, whereas stood means remained upright or supported a body and is pronounced /stʊd/.