brew
/bruː
/verb [with object]
1Make (beer) by soaking, boiling, and fermentation: within five years the company will brew as much beer in China as in Australia (as adjective brewing) the brewing industry...
- The brewery wants to be seen as the good guys, brewing a clean beer.
- They brew cask beers using only traditional methods and use mainly locally grown hops wherever possible.
- Bock beer was traditionally brewed in the fall.
Synonyms
ferment, make
2Make (tea or coffee) by mixing it with hot water: I’ve just brewed some coffee...
- Then she added water and started brewing the coffee.
- He then told me that he had forgotten to remove the coffee grounds from the maker before I brewed my tea.
- He also brewed a jasmine tea that he had found in one of the cupboards.
Synonyms
prepare, infuse, make
infuse, be in preparation;
stew
British informal mash
2.1 (brew up) British informal Make tea: he insisted on sitting us down and then went to brew up...
- He brewed up some tea and started a fire while Jocelyn dried her face and cleaned herself up a little.
- The dark-haired lady smiled and began brewing up some cold tea.
- She had brewed up some sassafras tea and given him a mug to drink in front of the fire.
3 [no object] (Of an unwelcome event or situation) begin to develop: there was more trouble brewing as the miners went on strike a storm was brewing...
- First of all, we don't have that situation brewing right now.
- Tensions arising from this situation brewed for several years.
- A similar debate is brewing on the other side of the Atlantic.
Synonyms
develop, gather force, loom, be close, be ominously close, be on the way, be on the horizon, be in the offing, be in the wings, be imminent, be threatening, be impending, impend, be just around the corner
noun
1A kind of beer: small breweries which are able to offer rare brews...
- The problems are the same as with other new product explosions of recent years, such as non-alcohol brews.
- Company products include specialty beers, malt beverages and non-alcoholic brews.
- Beer fans will love the selection of brews offered at Clubhouse.
Synonyms
beer, ale
1.1 informal A glass or can of beer: he dug a brew out from the cooler and flipped the ringtop...
- He reached into the fridge and brought out another pair of brew, placing it beside Sofia's empty bottle.
- It featured 377 breweries pouring brews for more than 29,500 attendees.
- My officemates liked having cold brews on tap.
2A cup or mug of tea or coffee: she took a sip of the hot reviving brew...
- It is well known among soldiers for delivering hot and cold brews and biscuits.
- After stirring the hot brew once more, she set the bowl aside and turned to Will.
- You've just got to try drinking a herbal brew from a Traditional Chinese Medicine practitioner.
Synonyms
drink;
tea, coffee
formal beverage
3A mixture of events, people, or things which interact to form a more potent whole: a dangerous brew of political turmoil and violent conflict...
- Still, given the potent brew of personalities, it was natural that rumours would flourish, and they did.
- It's a potent brew of emotions that is imparted with much laughter through tears.
- New public management is a complex brew of political, economic and managerial claims.
Synonyms
mixture, mix, blend, combination, compound, amalgam, concoction, pot-pourri, melange
Origin
Old English brēowan (verb), of Germanic origin; related to Dutch brouwen and German brauen.
Rhymes
- psychosomatism
- psychosomatist
- psychosomimetic
- psychosphere
- psychospiritual
- psychostasia
- psychostasy
- psychostatic
- psychostatics
- psychostimulant
- psychosurgeon
- psychosurgery
- psychosurgical
- psychosyndrome
- psychosynthesis
- psychosynthesist
- psychosynthetic
- psychotechnic
- psychotechnical
- psychotechnics
- psychotechnologist
- psychotechnology
- psychotheism
- psychotherapeutic
- psychotherapeutical