Definition

1. Noun:

   • A drink made by steeping, boiling, and fermenting ingredients: "brew" most commonly refers to a beverage, especially beer or tea, produced through these processes.
   • A serving or batch of such a drink: It can also refer to a single instance or quantity of the prepared drink.

2. Verb:

   • To make (a drink like beer or tea) by steeping, boiling, and fermenting: The primary meaning involves the preparation of such beverages.
   • To let something sit in hot water to extract its flavor: This applies specifically to making drinks like tea or coffee.
   • To be in the process of being made or developing: Used figuratively to describe something, often a situation, that is forming or gathering.

Examples of Usage

• Noun:

  • He makes a strong brew of coffee every morning.
  • This pub is famous for its excellent home brew.

• Verb:

  • They brew their own beer in the basement.
  • I'll brew a fresh pot of tea for our guests.
  • Trouble seems to be brewing in the office.

Advanced Usage

• "brew up" (phrasal verb): To make a hot drink, especially tea or coffee, often informally.

  • Let's brew up some tea and have a chat.

• "brew of": Used to describe a particular mixture or combination, often of ideas or elements.

  • His philosophy is a strange brew of Eastern and Western thought.

Variants and Related Words

• Brewer (n): A person or company that makes beer.

  • He works as a master brewer for a large brewery.

• Brewery (n): A place where beer is made commercially.

  • We took a tour of the local brewery.

• Brewing (n/adj): The process of making beer; also used as an adjective for something in development.

  • The brewing process takes several weeks. (n)
  • A brewing scandal. (adj)

Synonyms

• Steep (v): To soak in liquid to extract flavor.
• Ferment (v): To undergo fermentation, crucial in brewing beer.
• Concoct (v): To make by combining various ingredients (can be used figuratively like "brew").

Related Phrasal Verbs

• Brew over: (Of a situation) to develop slowly, often towards a crisis. Similar to the figurative use of "brew."
  • The dispute had been brewing over for months before the strike.

Related Idioms

• A witch's brew / A witches' brew: A dangerous or unpleasant mixture of things.

  • The policy was a witch's brew of bad ideas.

• To brew a storm: To cause trouble or a difficult situation to develop. (Directly related to the figurative use).

  • His careless comments are brewing a storm on social media.

Noun

1. drink made by steeping and boiling and fermenting rather than distilling

Verb

1. sit or let sit in boiling water so as to extract the flavor
   • the tea is brewing
2. prepare by brewing
   • people have been brewing beer for thousands of years