stitch
Americannoun
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stitches
plural
-
one complete movement of a threaded needle through a fabric or material such as to leave behind it a single loop or portion of thread, as in sewing, embroidery, or the surgical closing of wounds.
-
a loop or portion of thread disposed in place by one such movement in sewing.
to rip out stitches.
-
a particular mode of disposing the thread in sewing or the style of work produced by one such method.
-
one complete movement of the needle or other implement used in knitting, crocheting, netting, tatting, etc.
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the portion of work produced.
-
a thread, bit, or piece of any fabric or of clothing.
to remove every stitch of clothes.
-
the least bit of anything.
He wouldn't do a stitch of work.
-
a sudden, sharp pain, especially in the intercostal muscles.
a stitch in the side.
verb (used with object)
-
stitches,
present (3rd person singular)
-
stitched,
past participle, past
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stitching
present participle
-
to work upon, join, mend, or fasten with or as if with stitches; sew (often followed bytogether ).
to stitch together flour sacks to make curtains; a plan that was barely stitched together.
-
to ornament or embellish with stitches.
to stitch a shirt with a monogram.
verb (used without object)
-
stitches,
present (3rd person singular)
-
stitched,
past participle, past
-
stitching
present participle
idioms
noun
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a link made by drawing a thread through material by means of a needle
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a loop of yarn formed around an implement used in knitting, crocheting, etc
-
a particular method of stitching or shape of stitch
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a sharp spasmodic pain in the side resulting from running or exercising
-
informal (usually used with a negative) the least fragment of clothing
he wasn't wearing a stitch
-
agriculture the ridge between two furrows
-
to allow a loop of wool to fall off a knitting needle accidentally while knitting
-
informal laughing uncontrollably
verb
-
(tr) to sew, fasten, etc, with stitches
-
(intr) to be engaged in sewing
-
(tr) to bind together (the leaves of a book, pamphlet, etc) with wire staples or thread
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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stitchernoun
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unstitchverb
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restitchverb (used with object)
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stitchlikeadjective
-
unstitchedadjective
-
well-stitchedadjective
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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stitchsimple
-
stitchessimple
-
have stitchedperfect
-
has stitchedperfect
-
am stitchingprogressive
-
are stitchingprogressive
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is stitchingprogressive
-
have been stitchingperfect progressive
-
has been stitchingperfect progressive
Past
-
stitchedsimple
-
had stitchedperfect
-
was stitchingprogressive
-
were stitchingprogressive
-
had been stitchingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of stitch
before 900; (noun) Middle English stiche, Old English stice a thrust, stab; cognate with German Stich prick; akin to stick 2; (v.) Middle English stichen to stab, pierce, derivative of the noun
Explanation
When a needle pulls thread through fabric and into a loop, that's a stitch. Every quilt, no matter how elaborate, starts with a single stitch. You can stitch a design on a pillow, or stitch up a hole in your jeans using stitches. Doctors sometimes stitch up patients' skin, too — if you cut yourself badly enough, you might need stitches. Another kind of stitch is a painful cramp in your stomach or side: "I stopped running when I got a stitch." If someone says, "I haven't got a stitch to wear," they're short on clothing. And being "in stitches" means laughing uncontrollably.
Vocabulary lists containing stitch
"Icarus and Daedalus"
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Sewing Away
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"Mister Monster"
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
A treat for trivia fans: Which simple stitch is the basis for all other stitches?
From Slate ● Jul. 21, 2026
"It's garbage. It's a stitch up job," he added.
From BBC ● Jul. 20, 2026
Lately, though, the news would make me drop a stitch.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 10, 2026
Do you think the insurance company tried to stitch me up?
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 10, 2026
But stitch one small thing to another small thing and another, and eventually you have a tapestry as big as the world.
From "Not Nothing" by Gayle Forman
A popular Turkish comedian went on trial on Monday for allegedly insulting President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and other offences during a stand-up performance, offering a quick-witted defence that had much of the courtroom in stitches.
From Barron's ● Sep. 28, 2026
He does not have stitches and is not covered in gauze.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 16, 2026
SINGAPORE—Take a nearly finished shirt in China, ship it to Cambodia, put a few stitches in it and call it Cambodian.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 14, 2026
"I called A&E and A&E said oh it's 14 hours to get the stitches," he said.
From BBC ● Aug. 2, 2026
His books were his books, you understand: his words, penned in his own hand and bound with his own neat stitches.
From "Strange the Dreamer" by Laini Taylor
The original art for the piece featured a globe stitched out of yarn—crochet stitches, specifically.
From Slate ● Oct. 11, 2026
Her lawyer told the court that the care home took Seo to hospital and informed her mother about the incident only after the wound on her head had been stitched up.
From BBC ● Oct. 4, 2026
Designed by the winners and probably stitched by the losers, it depicts alliances and double-dealings, the slaughter of a dynasty, and the rebirth of a nation under foreign laws and a hybrid tongue.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 26, 2026
Trip-related problems are so common, in fact, that consumer advocate Christopher Elliott has stitched an entire career out of resolving them — from timeshare scams to horrible airline customer service and beyond.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 8, 2026
The skin had stitched back together, as seamlessly as though there’d never been a cut there at all.
From "Beasts of Prey" by Ayana Gray
The name Mavis is, in itself, a mashup, created by stitching together Marion, Vic and the Sorbaro family name.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 3, 2026
Designed by Adrian, the big cat has shoelace-style stitching running up his belly and detachable slippers tipped with sharp claws.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 8, 2026
Morgan analyst Tien-Tsin Huang asked about the deals on the earnings call, saying that the combined effort seemed to come with “above-average risk … because you’re stitching together the three assets.”
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 18, 2026
It may well be true that stitching multicultural communities together requires us to be more curious, inclusive neighbors.
From Slate ● May 26, 2026
I’ve been sewing all afternoon, practicing making pockets and handkerchiefs so I can work on getting the stitching perfectly straight.
From "Betty Before X" by Ilyasah Shabazz and Renée Watson
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
