hew

[ hyoo or, often, yoo ]

/ hyu or, often, yu /

Save This Word!

Definition of hew

verb (used with object), hewed, hewed or hewn, hew·ing.

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.

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), hewed, hewed or hewn, hew·ing.

to strike with cutting blows; cut: He hewed more vigorously each time.

to uphold, follow closely, or conform (usually followed by to): to hew to the tenets of one's political party.

OTHER WORDS FOR hew

2 form.

See synonyms for hew on Thesaurus.com

QUIZ

WILL YOU SAIL OR STUMBLE ON THESE GRAMMAR QUESTIONS?

Smoothly step over to these common grammar mistakes that trip many people up. Good luck!

Question 1 of 7

Fill in the blank: I can’t figure out _____ gave me this gift.

who

whom

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of hew

First recorded before 900; Middle English hewen, Old English hēawan; cognate with German hauen, Old Norse hǫggva; akin to haggle

synonym study for hew

1. See cut.

OTHER WORDS FROM hew

hew·a·ble, adjectivehewer, nounun·hew·a·ble, adjectiveun·hewed, adjective

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH hew

hew , hue

Words nearby hew

hevea, Hevelian halo, Hevelius, Hever Castle, Hevesy, hew, hewers of wood and drawers of water, He who hesitates is lost, He who laughs last, laughs best, Hewish, Hewitt

Other definitions for hew (2 of 2)

HEW

abbreviation

Department of Health, Education, and Welfare.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use hew in a sentence

That system weakened as members of all three branches hewed increasingly to the platforms of the two political parties.
How CEOs became the 4th branch of government|Felix Salmon|January 12, 2021|Axios
The xEMU has bearings that are lighter and hew closer to the joints than ones used for previous EMUs.
Current spacesuits won’t cut it on the moon. So NASA made new ones.|Neel Patel|December 29, 2020|MIT Technology Review
The pandemic has been the ultimate stress test on us and on our nation, and it doesn’t hew to human timelines.
The covid-era workplace: Hard questions, no easy answers|Karla Miller|December 17, 2020|Washington Post
All other Senate races hewed quite close to presidential results — and because this year’s Senate races took place largely on Republican turf, that was a big blow to Democrats’ efforts to flip the chamber.
There Wasn’t That Much Split-Ticket Voting In 2020|Nathaniel Rakich (nathaniel.rakich@fivethirtyeight.com)|December 2, 2020|FiveThirtyEight

Instead of hewing to the usual limit, we created five separate lists this year.
Fortune’s 40 Under 40 honorees in tech defy the pandemic|rhhackettfortune|September 2, 2020|Fortune
That may make them more likely to, collectively, hew to a more moderate path when giving odds on the election.
Intrade: An Ohio Story|Matthew Zeitlin|November 5, 2012|DAILY BEAST
Designers hew to their legacies for fall lines, while Armani argues against his reputation for elegance.
Milan Fashion Week’s Big Finale: Versace and Dolce & Gabbana Wow, While Armani Falls Short|Robin Givhan|February 27, 2012|DAILY BEAST
After Jobs left, Scully says, the company tried to hew to his design philosophy.
7 Best Reads on Steve Jobs's Life|Josh Dzieza|October 6, 2011|DAILY BEAST
Behind all the finger-wagging is the idea that movies about history need to hew to facts.
Heil, Tarantino!|Caryn James|August 20, 2009|DAILY BEAST
His object was to reach Allahabad that night—not to hew his way through opposing hordes and risk being cut down in the process.
The Red Year|Louis Tracy
Draw the belt tighter, my son, and hew me out this tree that is fallen across the road, for our campground is not here.
The First Christmas Tree|Henry Van Dyke
Then bade the King his men hew the ice and release his ships into the lake, and so went the men and set to work to hew the ice.
The Sagas of Olaf Tryggvason and of Harald The Tyrant (Harald Haardraade)|Snorri Sturluson
Look at the swagger of the vagabond who commands his braves, would you not think he was about to hew down everything in sight?
The Pilgrim's Shell or Fergan the Quarryman|Eugne Sue
The other man was negligible—a bovine lump of flesh without personality—born to hew wood and draw water for men of enterprise.
The Hidden Places|Bertrand W. Sinclair

British Dictionary definitions for hew (1 of 2)

hew

/ (hjuː) /

verb hews, hewing, hewed, hewed or hewn (hjuːn)

to strike (something, esp wood) with cutting blows, as with an axe

(tr often foll by out) to shape or carve from a substance

(tr; often foll by away, down, from, off, etc) to sever from a larger or another portion

(intr often foll by to) US and Canadian to conform (to a code, principle, etc)

Derived forms of hew

hewer, noun

Word Origin for hew

Old English hēawan; related to Old Norse heggva, Old Saxon hāwa, Old High German houwan, Latin cūdere to beat

British Dictionary definitions for hew (2 of 2)

HEW

abbreviation for (in the US)

Department of Health, Education, and Welfare

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012