brew

 
Pronunciation: /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
  • 2make (tea or coffee) by mixing it with hot water: I’ve just brewed some coffee
  • (brew up) British informal make tea: he insisted on sitting us down and then went to brew up
  • 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

noun

  • 1a kind of beer: small breweries which are able to offer rare brews
  • informal a glass or can of beer: he dug a brew out from the cooler and flipped the ringtop
  • 2a cup or mug of tea or coffee: she took a sip of the hot reviving brew
  • 3a mixture of events, people, or things which interact to form a more potent whole: a dangerous brew of political turmoil and violent conflict

Derivatives

brewer

noun

Origin:

Old English brēowan (verb), of Germanic origin; related to Dutch brouwen and German brauen