stove

1 of 2

noun

ˈstōv 

1

a

: a portable or fixed apparatus that burns fuel or uses electricity to provide heat (as for cooking or heating)

b

: a device that generates heat for special purposes (as for heating tools or heating air for a hot blast)

c

: kiln

2

chiefly British : a hothouse especially for the cultivation of tropical exotics

broadly : greenhouse

stove

2 of 2

past tense and past participle of stave

Examples of stove in a Sentence

Noun

She put the pan on the stove over medium heat.

I cooked the burgers on the stove.

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Ritu’s mother was standing by the stove frying pakoras, and Ritu’s father was at the kitchen table, unshaven, white chest hair showing. —Akhil Sharma, New Yorker, 28 Aug. 2025

Each accommodation is further customized with special touches, like a wood-burning fireplace or electric stove. —Regan Stephens, Travel + Leisure, 25 Aug. 2025

In the 19 cabins here, propane lamps provide light, a wooden stove gives off heat, drinking water comes from an outdoor spigot, and a short path leads to an outhouse. —Chloe Arrojado, AFAR Media, 25 Aug. 2025

Pop your kernels on the stove, add crispy bacon crumbles, and make this recipe your own with variations like Maple and Glazed Pecans or Smoky Chile-Garlic. —Kimberly Holland, Southern Living, 21 Aug. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English (Scots), heated room, steam bath, from Middle Dutch or Middle Low German, from Vulgar Latin *extufa, ultimately from Latin ex- + Greek typhein to smoke — more at deaf

First Known Use

Noun

circa 1618, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing stove

• Franklin stove
• pellet stove
• potbellied stove
• slave over a hot stove
• stove top

Rhymes for stove

• clove
• cove
• drove
• rove
• shrove
• strove
• throve
• trove
• wove
• alcove
• mangrove

Kids Definition

stove

1 of 2 noun

ˈstōv 

1

: an appliance that burns fuel or uses electricity to provide heat (as for cooking or heating)

2

: kiln

stove

2 of 2

past and past participle of stave entry 2