hew
1 Americanverb (used with object)
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to strike forcibly with an ax, sword, or other cutting instrument; chop; hack.
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to make, shape, smooth, etc., with cutting blows.
to hew a passage through the crowd; to hew a statue from marble.
- Synonyms:
- form
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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.
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to cut down; fell.
to hew wood; trees hewed down by the storm.
verb (used without object)
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to strike with cutting blows; cut.
He hewed more vigorously each time.
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to uphold, follow closely, or conform (usually followed byto ).
to hew to the tenets of one's political party.
abbreviation
verb
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to strike (something, esp wood) with cutting blows, as with an axe
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to shape or carve from a substance
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(tr; often foll by away, down, from, off, etc) to sever from a larger or another portion
-
to conform (to a code, principle, etc)
abbreviation
Related Words
See cut.
Other Word Forms
- hewable adjective
- hewer noun
- unhewable adjective
- unhewed adjective
Etymology
Origin of hew
First recorded before 900; Middle English hewen, Old English hēawan; cognate with German hauen, Old Norse hǫggva; akin to haggle
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.
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
I dismantled my sleeping nest to repurpose its branches and hewed off additional ones from nearby trees.
From Literature
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
With changes to tax law, the Dec. 31 deadline has become almost arbitrary, yet people still hew to old habits.
From MarketWatch
Some Chinese magnet makers have appointed compliance officers to ensure their exports are hewing to the law.
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.
