sew

¹ American  

[soh] / soʊ /

verb (used with object)

sewed, sewn, sewed, sewing

1. to join or attach by stitches.

2. to make, repair, etc., (a garment) by such means.

3. to enclose or secure with stitches.

   to sew flour in a bag.

4. to close (a hole, wound, etc.) by means of stitches (usually followed byup ).

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verb (used without object)

sewed, sewn, sewed, sewing

1. to work with a needle and thread or with a sewing machine.

verb phrase

1. sew up

   1. Informal. to get or have a monopoly of; control exclusively.

   2. Informal. to complete or conclude (arrangements, negotiations, etc.) successfully.

      They were about to sew up the deal when the argument started.

   3. to gain or be assured of.

      He tried to sew up as many votes as possible before the convention.

sew ² American  

[soo] / su /

verb (used with object)

sewed, sewing

1. to ground (a vessel) at low tide (sometimes followed by byup ).

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verb (used without object)

sewed, sewing

1. (of a vessel) to be grounded at low tide.

noun

1. the amount of additional water necessary to float a grounded vessel.

sew British  

/ səʊ /

verb

1. to join or decorate (pieces of fabric, etc) by means of a thread repeatedly passed through with a needle or similar implement

2. (tr; often foll by on or up) to attach, fasten, or close by sewing

3. (tr) to make (a garment, etc) by sewing

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Other Word Forms

• sewable
  adjective

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Etymology

Origin of sew¹

First recorded before 900; Middle English seuen, souen, Old English siw(i)an, siowan; cognate with Old High German siuwan, Old Norse sauma, Gothic siujan; akin to Sanskrit sī́vyati “(he) sews,” Latin suere; see also seam

Origin of sew²

First recorded in 1580–90; from Middle French sewer, shortening of essewer, from unattested Vulgar Latin exaquāre, equivalent to Latin ex- “out of, from, thoroughly” + verb derivative of aqua “water”; see also sewer ¹

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Explanation

Sew describes stitching something together. If you sew up the holes in your socks, you use thread and a needle to close them. The word sew comes from the Old English word siwian, to stitch. You can sew a patch on a pair of jeans, sew a dress, or sew up a hole in your grandmother's old quilt. A figurative meaning of sew, as in the phrase to sew something up, is to secure something or bring it to a happy conclusion, like sewing up the plot in the last chapter of a book. Don't confuse sew with sow, to plant or set in motion.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

sew sewed sewing sewn

That has meant that tailor Ebrima Camara, 31, has had to sew using a foot-pedal machine rather than his usual electric model, as he struggles to complete orders for school uniforms for the new year.

From Barron's ● Sep. 17, 2026

“I’d love to be able to go back and sew it together again,” she says.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 3, 2026

But regardless, he said, Democrats would have to find a way to "sew these two very large groups back together" if they wanted to reverse recent election losses.

From BBC ● Jul. 26, 2026

We have a big couch, and I sew while Jake watches movies.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 30, 2026

Olka knew that I had sewn many of these in the Madritsch plant and could sew one from memory.

From "Not Nothing" by Gayle Forman

Ireland sewed up the play-off place in the group thanks to Troy Parrott's 96th-minute hat-trick goal handing them a 3-2 win over third-placed Hungary.

From Barron's ● Nov. 16, 2025

Amabile says she has an older sister who for years sewed Halloween costumes for her family.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 15, 2025

The 132-pound turtle was taken into Long Beach’s Aquarium of the Pacific, where veterinarians removed the fishing line and sewed the wounds.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 19, 2025

He sells overalls with rain boots sewed in to them on TikTok.

From BBC ● Sep. 17, 2025

It was Aunty Uju who sewed Ifemelu’s little-girl dresses and, as Ifemelu got older, they would pore over fashion magazines, choosing styles together.

From "Americanah" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

Much of the shirt-making process then takes place at these factories, including sewing, ironing and packaging.

From BBC ● Oct. 8, 2026

Research published last year suggested that, of a typical £85 shirt, £8.50 covers fabric, sewing and shipping, £37.45 goes to the retailer, £16.25 to the manufacturer, £9.50 on marketing and £13.60 in VAT.

From BBC ● Oct. 8, 2026

I’ve repaired our fridge, dishwasher, vacuum, toaster, sewing machine and bikes.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 2, 2026

"Her sewing machine was there. She was in tears because it's broken now. So, well, it's a tragedy. But in my family everyone is alive and for that I thank God," he said.

From Barron's ● Sep. 26, 2026

Mama and Tante Anna redoubled their cooking and sewing for the needy in the neighborhood, as though realizing how brief was anyone’s lifetime of service.

From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom

It’s like watching stars being sewn into the fabric of the universe.

From Salon ● Sep. 28, 2026

The small-estate procedure does not simply eliminate the need to deal with real estate, and you already have that sewn up.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 27, 2026

Born in New York in 1990, Self works across painting, printmaking and sculpture, often using sewn and printed materials to build up depictions of the human figure.

From BBC ● Sep. 10, 2026

BH: The two beaded dresses took over a month because every bead was hand beaded and sewn on.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 10, 2026

She'd hand sewn my prom dress, for God's sake.

From "Becoming" by Michelle Obama

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Related Words

• embroider
• fasten
• stitch
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