hew
verb (used with object)
to strike forcibly with an ax, sword, or other cutting instrument; chop; hack.
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hew
1 American
[hyoo, yoo]
/ hju, ju /
verb (used with object)
-
hews,
present (3rd person singular)
-
hewed,
past participle, past
-
hewn,
past participle
-
hewing
present participle
-
to strike forcibly with an ax, sword, or other cutting instrument; chop; hack.
-
to make, shape, smooth, etc., with cutting blows.
to hew a passage through the crowd; to hew a statue from marble.
- Synonyms:
- form
-
to sever (a part) from a whole by means of cutting blows (usually followed by away, off, out, from, etc.).
to hew branches from the tree.
-
to cut down; fell.
to hew wood; trees hewed down by the storm.
verb (used without object)
-
hews,
present (3rd person singular)
-
hewed,
past participle, past
-
hewn,
past participle
-
hewing
present participle
-
to strike with cutting blows; cut.
He hewed more vigorously each time.
-
to uphold, follow closely, or conform (usually followed byto ).
to hew to the tenets of one's political party.
HEW
2
American
abbreviation
hew
1
British
/ hjuː /
verb
-
to strike (something, esp wood) with cutting blows, as with an axe
-
to shape or carve from a substance
-
(tr; often foll by away, down, from, off, etc) to sever from a larger or another portion
-
to conform (to a code, principle, etc)
HEW
2
British
abbreviation
Synonym Usage
See cut.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
hewsimple
-
hewssimple
-
have hewedperfect
-
have hewnperfect
-
has hewedperfect
-
has hewnperfect
-
am hewingprogressive
-
are hewingprogressive
-
is hewingprogressive
-
have been hewingperfect progressive
-
has been hewingperfect progressive
Past
-
hewedsimple
-
had hewedperfect
-
had hewnperfect
-
was hewingprogressive
-
were hewingprogressive
-
had been hewingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of hew
First recorded before 900; Middle English hewen, Old English hēawan; cognate with German hauen, Old Norse hǫggva; akin to haggle
Explanation
If you're a lumberjack, the word hew is nothing new. You hew things every day with one swift swing of the axe, chopping and shaping wood. It's said that Paul Bunyan hewed the Grand Canyon by dragging his giant mythical axe behind him. But usually things are hewn with a little more purpose — with each chop and cut designed to shape, sculpt, or craft a final product. Take the axe out of the picture though, and this word takes on a different meaning. If you're trying to adhere to rules, stick to a budget, or conform to a certain tradition, you can use hew, too.
Vocabulary lists containing hew
The Vocabulary.com Top 1000
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Figurative Language in King's "I Have a Dream" Speech (1963)
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Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" Speech (1963)
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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:
These automated strategies routinely buy and sell large quantities of stocks over the course of the year to hew to an index, and any influx of cash into the account will very quickly be redeployed.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 10, 2026
The deals appear to closely hew to the same lines as the earlier deals with Pfizer and AstraZeneca, which were seen as significant wins for the industry.
From Barron's ● Dec. 19, 2025
With changes to tax law, the Dec. 31 deadline has become almost arbitrary, yet people still hew to old habits.
From MarketWatch ● Dec. 19, 2025
The intention of the proposed measure is to hew as closely to the county regulations as possible, including provisions that provide flexibility to small landlords, Blumenfield said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 4, 2025
Mr. O’Halloran tells the class it’s a disgrace that boys like McCourt, Clarke, Kennedy, have to hew wood and draw water.
From "Angela's Ashes: A Memoir" by Frank McCourt
Bike storage and shower facilities at the GSA and HEW buildings were rarely used.
From Washington Post ● Aug. 30, 2017
But, while programs like Medicare did become integral parts of American society, HEW did have too much on its plate: about a decade later, it was split into two separate agencies.
From Time ● Jan. 17, 2017
HEW Secretary John Gardner, recognizing the enormity of the task, decided to call in as much staff as necessary to enforce the law, Smith says.
From US News ● Jul. 29, 2015
There is much less likelihood that HEW would be capitive to agribusiness interests.
From New York Times ● Dec. 12, 2014
Numerous researchers had appealed to HEW, asking that collection of blood and tissues be exempt from the new law.
From "The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks" by Rebecca Skloot
Zoe Kazan’s Cathy, which closely hews to Steinbeck’s original vision, defies easy assumptions about a woman’s wants and needs.
From Salon ● Oct. 3, 2026
“Superbloom” is a strong record whose failings have mostly to do with context, specifically how closely the album hews to its two predecessors.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 21, 2026
At the same time, “‘Master Harold,’” which hews closely to Fugard’s own experiences, is a tale of hope.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 14, 2026
It isn’t yet clear how close that opinion hews to Selig’s own.
From Barron's ● Nov. 19, 2025
Who is it hews his foe to mammocks; writes “Acquittal” on his tomb—and dies?
From Tales from Blackwood Volume 8 by Various
At a time when other sitcoms occasionally tackled social issues in “very special” episodes and “The Cosby Show” hewed to its namesake star’s dedication to respectability politics, “A Different World” regularly confronted harder topics.
From Salon ● Sep. 24, 2026
Indeed, Walker’s Bitcoin origin story hewed closely to a common template in the Bitcoin community.
From Slate ● Sep. 20, 2026
A less-frequent Gallup survey specifically about whether the stock market will rise in the next six months hewed to the same pattern.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 23, 2026
Selfies were becoming more prevalent as social media grew, and standards of beauty hewed close to celebrity Kim Kardashian’s looks, especially in regards to eye makeup and products used for face contouring.
From MarketWatch ● Feb. 7, 2026
Ever he clutched me, and ever I hewed him, till at last he fled into dark tunnels.
From "The Two Towers" by J. R. R. Tolkien
He said there was a large military presence in Lalibela, famous for being home to 13th Century churches hewn from rock and a holy site for millions of Orthodox Christians.
From BBC ● Sep. 30, 2026
Charles and Caroline are a handsome couple, with Pa hewn in the rugged spirit immortalized by Michael Landon in the 1970s TV classic.
From Salon ● Jul. 11, 2026
Video released by the US Justice Department shows apparently well-made concrete steps leading into the tunnel, which appears to be hewn from rock and with a concrete floor.
From Barron's ● Jun. 2, 2026
But when he got it right, his lyrics had an aphoristic directness that made them seem more hewn than written.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 9, 2025
Beneath it, the bell tower angled down to the clapboard front and granite steps, hewn a hundred years ago by the first congregation.
From "Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy" by Gary D. Schmidt
Though far from being a “gritty” period drama, “Little House” does attempt to capture the realities and complexities of its place and time, while still hewing to Wilder’s original themes of resilience, hope and family.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 9, 2026
Johann Sebastian Bach composed some of his best works by hewing to a self-imposed fugal format.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 13, 2026
Some vessels have exited the strait after making a brief diversion through a channel between two islands off Iran’s coast, Larak and Qeshm, and hewing close to Iran’s coast.
From MarketWatch ● Mar. 17, 2026
But being a politician occasionally requires actual leadership, which means working to persuade voters of the merits of a position, rather than reflexively hewing to public opinion at any given moment.
From Slate ● Jul. 7, 2025
Besides, think of the waste of substance of the body in hewing away so much hair every morning, and encouraging an endless rotation of crops!
From Health Five Lay Sermons to Working-People by John Brown
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
