Definition

1. Noun:
   • A street or alley lined with buildings that were originally private stables or carriage houses, now typically converted into residential dwellings: The term "mews" refers to a specific type of urban architecture, historically used for housing horses and carriages, which has been repurposed into homes, often characterized by a quiet, cobbled street.

Examples of Usage

• Noun:
  • The actress owns a charming house in a London mews.
  • Many of the city's old mews have been transformed into expensive and desirable properties.

Advanced Usage

• "A mews house": A dwelling located within a mews.
  • They renovated a traditional mews house, preserving its original facade.

Variants and Related Words

• Mew (noun, archaic): A cage for hawks, especially while molting. (Note: This is a distinct, older word that is etymologically related but not the same in modern usage as the plural noun "mews").
• Mews flat/apartment: A flat or apartment situated in a converted mews building.

Synonyms

• Mews street: A street of mews houses.
• Converted stables: Describes the origin and current state of the buildings.

Notes on Meaning

• The word is almost always used in its plural form "mews" (treating it as a singular noun) to describe the entire street or complex, not an individual building. One says "a mews" or "the mews," not "a mew."
• Its usage is strongly associated with British English, particularly describing areas in cities like London.

Noun

1. street lined with buildings that were originally private stables but have been remodeled as dwellings
   • she lives in a Chelsea mews