hew

[ hyoo or, often, yoo ]

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.

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 for hew

form

See synonyms for hew on Thesaurus.com

Other words from hew

hew·a·ble, adjective
hewer, noun
un·hew·a·ble, adjective
un·hewed, adjective

Words that may be confused with hew

hew , hue

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

In some ways, The Hypnotist hews closer to the American gumshoe tradition.
It’s Not Easy Being Swede | Lizzie Skurnick | June 17, 2011 | THE DAILY BEAST
The plot hews close to Poltergeist, the Tobe Hooper-directed, Steven Spielberg-produced haunted house classic from 1982.
Insidious' Unsettling Horror | Keith Phipps | April 1, 2011 | THE DAILY BEAST
For all its extravagances, the jewelry business hews to a simple bottom line: Rolexes and diamonds.
The Gem Trade's Shady Characters | Jonathan Blitzer | May 13, 2009 | THE DAILY BEAST
We cut and sawed them with the same composed indifference with which the sculptor hews the marble.
Wild Western Scenes | John Beauchamp Jones
Thrain hews at Kol, and the stroke came on his leg so that it cut it off.
The story of Burnt Njal | Anonymous

All of the monster that falls beneath Medusa's eyes is stone already; and all of him that yet lives the scimetar hews to pieces.
The Works of Lucian of Samosata, v. 4 | Lucian of Samosata
He builds the forest and hews it down, the power which raised the tree and that which wields the axe being one and the same.
The Eagle's Nest | John Ruskin
The stonecutter takes the marble and hews out the rough block; the sculptor finds its hidden soul.
The Unfolding Life | Antoinette Abernethy Lamoreaux

British Dictionary definitions for hew (1 of 2)

hew

/ (hjuː) /

verbhews, 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)

Origin of hew

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

Derived forms of hew

hewer, noun

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

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