Standard Lemma guide

stowaway

noun · 2 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • /ˈstəʊəˌweɪ/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • CMU ARPABET: S T OW1 AH0 W EY2 Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

noun

Meaning 1

A person who hides on board a ship, train, etc. so as to get a free passage.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

a person who hides aboard a ship or plane in the hope of getting free passage

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: passenger, rider

History

Etymology

From stow away, from stow and away.

Across languages

Translations

50 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Catalan: polissó — person who hides on a ship, train, etc.
  • Catalan: polissona — person who hides on a ship, train, etc.
  • Chinese Mandarin: 偷渡者 (tōudùzhě) — person who hides on a ship, train, etc.
  • Czech: černý pasažér — person who hides on a ship, train, etc.
  • Danish: blind passager — person who hides on a ship, train, etc.
  • Dutch: verstekeling — person who hides on a ship, train, etc.
  • Esperanto: kaŝpasaĝero — person who hides on a ship, train, etc.
  • Faroese: loyniferðafólk — person who hides on a ship, train, etc.
  • Faroese: sníkiferðafólk — person who hides on a ship, train, etc.
  • Faroese: blindur passasjerur — person who hides on a ship, train, etc.
  • Finnish: jänis — person who hides on a ship, train, etc.
  • Finnish: salamatkustaja — person who hides on a ship, train, etc.
  • Finnish: vapaamatkustaja — person who hides on a ship, train, etc.
  • French: passager clandestin — person who hides on a ship, train, etc.
  • Galician: polisón — person who hides on a ship, train, etc.
  • Georgian: უბილეთო მგზავრი (ubileto mgzavri) — person who hides on a ship, train, etc.
  • Georgian: დამალული მგზავრი (damaluli mgzavri) — person who hides on a ship, train, etc.
  • Georgian: მალულად მომგზავრე (malulad momgzavre) — person who hides on a ship, train, etc.
  • Georgian: ფარულად მომგზავრე (parulad momgzavre) — person who hides on a ship, train, etc.
  • German: blinder Passagier — person who hides on a ship, train, etc.
  • German: blinde Passagierin — person who hides on a ship, train, etc.
  • Hebrew: נוֹסֵעַ סָמוּי (nose'a samui) — person who hides on a ship, train, etc.
  • Hungarian: potyautas — person who hides on a ship, train, etc.
  • Icelandic: laumufarþegi — person who hides on a ship, train, etc.
  • Icelandic: farþjófur — person who hides on a ship, train, etc.
  • Italian: clandestino — person who hides on a ship, train, etc.
  • Japanese: 密航者 (mikkōsha) — person who hides on a ship, train, etc.
  • Korean: 밀항자 (milhangja) — person who hides on a ship, train, etc.
  • Luxembourgish: blanne Passagéier — person who hides on a ship, train, etc.
  • Macedonian: слеп па́тник (slep pátnik) — person who hides on a ship, train, etc.
  • Macedonian: безби́летник (bezbíletnik) — person who hides on a ship, train, etc.
  • Māori: pāhihi parau — person who hides on a ship, train, etc.
  • Māori: pekewaka — person who hides on a ship, train, etc.
  • Norwegian Bokmål: blindpassasjer — person who hides on a ship, train, etc.
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: blindpassasjer — person who hides on a ship, train, etc.
  • Plautdietsch: Reisendoop — person who hides on a ship, train, etc.
  • Polish: pasażer na gapę — person who hides on a ship, train, etc.
  • Polish: ślepy pasażer — person who hides on a ship, train, etc.
  • Portuguese: passageiro clandestino — person who hides on a ship, train, etc.
  • Russian: безбилетник (bezbiletnik) — person who hides on a ship, train, etc.
  • Serbo-Croatian: слијепи путник — person who hides on a ship, train, etc.
  • Serbo-Croatian: slijepi putnik — person who hides on a ship, train, etc.
  • Slovene: slepi potnik — person who hides on a ship, train, etc.
  • Spanish: polizón — person who hides on a ship, train, etc.
  • Spanish: polizona — person who hides on a ship, train, etc.
  • Swedish: fripassagerare — person who hides on a ship, train, etc.
  • Swedish: blindpassagerare — person who hides on a ship, train, etc.
  • Swedish: gratispassagerare — person who hides on a ship, train, etc.
  • Turkish: kaçak yolcu — person who hides on a ship, train, etc.
  • Welsh: teithiwr cudd — person who hides on a ship, train, etc.