hew

¹ American  

[hyoo, yoo] / hyu, yu /

verb (used with object)

hewed, hewed, hewn, hewing

1. to strike forcibly with an ax, sword, or other cutting instrument; chop; hack.

2. to make, shape, smooth, etc., with cutting blows.

   to hew a passage through the crowd; to hew a statue from marble.

   Synonyms:

   form

3. 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.

4. to cut down; fell.

   to hew wood; trees hewed down by the storm.

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verb (used without object)

hewed, hewed, hewn, hewing

1. to strike with cutting blows; cut.

   He hewed more vigorously each time.

2. to uphold, follow closely, or conform (usually followed byto ).

   to hew to the tenets of one's political party.

HEW ² American  

abbreviation

1. Department of Health, Education, and Welfare.

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hew ¹ British  

/ hjuː /

verb

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

2. to shape or carve from a substance

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

4. to conform (to a code, principle, etc)

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HEW ² British  

abbreviation

1. Department of Health, Education, and Welfare

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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

The experiences of Semple’s characters hew closely to her own, and when she’s not happy, neither are they.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 30, 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

Wiegman's watch notification during hew news conference reminded her of a workout she was due to have.

From BBC • Jul. 27, 2025

‘And a Dwarf is no horseman. It is orc-necks I would hew, not shave the scalps of Men,’ said Gimli, patting the haft of his axe.

From "The Two Towers" by J. R. R. Tolkien

Related Words

• cleave