bestow
Other forms: bestowed; bestowing; bestows
When you present an honor or a gift to someone, you bestow it, which is the same as giving it, but often classier and more respectful.
Bestow comes from the Middle English stowen, "to place." Placing something really valuable or honoring in the hands of another, or conferring a position of responsibility on them, is to bestow it. For example, "She gave her teacher a ceramic apple she had made, knowing that her whole class would bestow the big honor of Teacher of the Year later that day," or, "The king praised her for working with the poor, and he would later bestow the medal of honor on her in a ceremony."
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give as a gift
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type of:
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give
transfer possession of something concrete or abstract to somebody
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give
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present
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bestow a quality on
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synonyms:
add, bring, contribute, impart, lend
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types:
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factor
be a contributing factor
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instill, transfuse
impart gradually
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tinsel
impart a cheap brightness to
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throw in
add as an extra or as a gratuity
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breathe
impart as if by breathing
/bɪˈstoʊ/
/bɪˈstəʊ/
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Copy citationVocabulary lists containing bestow
In this first book of the Samurai Detective series set in 18th-century Japan, Konoike Seikei, a tea merchant’s son dreaming of becoming a noble warrior-poet, helps a judge solve the mystery of a missing jewel.
In the Kingdom of Mangkon, twelve-year-old Sodsai Mudawan lies about her family's background so that she could have a chance at a bright future.
When her grandmother Miss Eula leaves Mississippi for the summer, nine-year-old Ruby Lavender misses their adventures, so they write letters to continue sharing their lives.
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