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From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.44 [gcide]:
Bestow \Be*stow"\, verb (used with an object) [imp. & p. p. {Bestowed}; p. pr. & vb. n. {Bestowing}.] [OE. bestowen; pref. be- + stow a place. See {Stow}.]
1. To lay up in store; to deposit for safe keeping; to stow; to place; to put. ''He bestowed it in a pouch.'' --Sir W. Scott.
See that the women are bestowed in safety. --Byron.
2. To use; to apply; to devote, as time or strength in some occupation.
3. To expend, as money. [Obs.]
4. To give or confer; to impart; -- with on or upon.
Empire is on us bestowed. --Cowper.
Though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor. --1 Cor. xiii. 3.
5. To give in marriage.
I could have bestowed her upon a fine gentleman. --Tatler.
6. To demean; to conduct; to behave; -- followed by a reflexive pronoun. [Obs.]
How might we see Falstaff bestow himself to-night in his true colors, and not ourselves be seen ? --Shak.
Syn: To give; grant; present; confer; accord.
From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:
bestow
verb
1: present; "The university conferred a degree on its most famous former student, who never graduated"; "bestow an honor on someone" [syn: {confer}]
2: give as a gift
3: bestow a quality on; "Her presence lends a certain cachet to the company"; "The music added a lot to the play"; "She brings a special atmosphere to our meetings"; "This adds a light note to the program" [syn: {lend}, {impart}, {contribute}, {add}, {bring}]
From Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0 [moby-thes]:
92 Moby Thesaurus words for "bestow": accord, administer, afford, allot, allow, apply, award, bestow on, billet, board, bunk, communicate, confer, consecrate to, consume, deal, deal out, dedicate to, devote, dish out, dispense, dole, dole out, domicile, donate, dose, dose with, employ, enforce upon, entertain, exercise, expend, exploit, extend, force, force upon, fork out, gift, gift with, give, give away, give freely, give out, give over to, give to, grant, hand out, handle, harbor, heap, help to, house, impart, issue, lavish, lay on, let have, lodge, mete, mete out, mete out to, offer, pack, pass, pour, prescribe for, present, proffer, put in, put on, put up, put upon, quarter, rain, render, serve, shell out, shower, slip, snow, spend, store, tender, use, use up, utilize, vouchsafe, warehouse, while, while away, wile, yield
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