bestowed; bestowing; bestows
1
: to put to use : apply
bestowed his spare time on study
2
: to put in a particular or appropriate place : stow
… bestowed in her car … by the chauffeur.—
Frances Towers
Frances Towers… the whole cargo was bestowed …—R. L. Stevenson
R. L. Stevenson3
: to provide with quarters : put up
… bestowed Clotilde in lodgings of her own.—Rayner Heppenstall
Rayner Heppenstall4
: to convey as a gift
—usually used with on or upon
The university bestowed an honorary degree upon her.
Synonyms
Examples of bestow in a Sentence
The university bestowed on her an honorary degree.
bestowed a new car on their son for graduation
Recent Examples on the Web
Washington — After a group of House Republicans proposed renaming Washington Dulles International Airport in Virginia after former President Donald Trump, a few of their Democratic colleagues responded by introducing their own bill that would bestow his name on a federal prison.
—Caitlin Yilek, CBS News, 5 Apr. 2024
James wasn’t the only Stuart monarch to bestow favor on George.
—Meilan Solly, Smithsonian Magazine, 5 Apr. 2024
See all Example Sentences for bestow 
Caitlin Yilek, CBS News, 5 Apr. 2024
James wasn’t the only Stuart monarch to bestow favor on George.
—Meilan Solly, Smithsonian Magazine, 5 Apr. 2024
See all Example Sentences for bestow
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'bestow.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near bestow
Cite this Entry
“Bestow.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bestow. Accessed 19 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share