saw

[ saw ]

/ sɔ /

Save This Word!

See synonyms for: saw / sawed / sawing / sawn on Thesaurus.com

noun

a tool or device for cutting, typically a thin blade of metal with a series of sharp teeth.

any similar tool or device, as a rotating disk, in which a sharp continuous edge replaces the teeth.

verb (used with object), sawed, sawed or sawn, saw·ing.

to cut or divide with a saw.

to form by cutting with a saw.

to make cutting motions as if using a saw: to saw the air with one's hands.

to work (something) from side to side like a saw.

verb (used without object), sawed, sawed or sawn, saw·ing.

to use a saw.

to cut with or as if with a saw.

to cut as a saw does.

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

Idioms about saw

saw wood, Informal. to snore loudly while sleeping.

Origin of saw

First recorded before 1000; Middle English noun sau(e), soue, zaue, Old English saga, sagu; cognate with Dutch zaag, Old Norse sǫg, German Säge, all meaning “saw”; akin to Latin secāre “to cut,” Old English seax “short sword, knife, dagger”; the verb is derivative of the noun; see also sax², section

OTHER WORDS FROM saw

sawer, nounsawlike, adjective

Words nearby saw

Savoy, Savoy Alps, Savoyard, Savoy cabbage, savvy, saw, Sawatch, sawbill, sawbones, sawbuck, sawbuck table

Other definitions for saw (2 of 3)

saw²

[ saw ]

/ sɔ /

verb

simple past tense of see¹.

Other definitions for saw (3 of 3)

saw³

[ saw ]

/ sɔ /

noun

a sententious saying; maxim; proverb: He could muster an old saw for every occasion.

Origin of saw

First recorded before 950; Middle English sau(e), sauhe, sagh(e) “talk, words, something said,” Old English sagu “a saying, speech, narrative”; cognate with German Sage “legend, fable, myth, tradition,” Old Norse saga “statement, tale, story, history”; see also saga, say¹

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

How to use saw in a sentence

Every economic supersector except mining and logging saw job gains in August, and all but a few made gains in June and July as well.
The Easy Part Of The Economic Recovery Might Be Over|Amelia Thomson-DeVeaux|September 4, 2020|FiveThirtyEight
Into such surgical headgear, Musk believes, billions of consumers will one day willingly place their heads, submitting as an automated saw carves out a circle of bone and a robot threads electronics into their brains.
Elon Musk’s Neuralink is neuroscience theater|David Rotman|August 30, 2020|MIT Technology Review
A cordless miter saw gives you the freedom to set up anywhere you want to work on the project you need to complete.
Make every project a breeze with the right miter saw|PopSci Commerce Team|August 26, 2020|Popular-Science
In case you’re wondering what a miter saw does, it’s a specialized power tool that helps you cut wood at different angles—think for crown molding, garden beds, door frames, and more.
Make every project a breeze with the right miter saw|PopSci Commerce Team|August 26, 2020|Popular-Science

The man, Wayne Reyes, who police said aimed a sawed-off shotgun at them, died at the scene.
Police Officers Accused Of Brutal Violence Often Have A History Of Complaints By Citizens|LGBTQ-Editor|June 1, 2020|No Straight News
But Krauss said that from the moment he and the other scientists arrived on the island, they never saw anything untoward.
Sleazy Billionaire’s Double Life Featured Beach Parties With Stephen Hawking|M.L. Nestel|January 8, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Because they stopped and I thought, “OK, that makes sense,” and then all of a sudden I saw another issue!
Coffee Talk with Fred Armisen: On ‘Portlandia,’ Meeting Obama, and Taylor Swift’s Greatness|Marlow Stern|January 7, 2015|DAILY BEAST
“We saw his background and he was a Bronx guy and we started breaking the case,” Boyce says.
Shot Down During the NYPD Slowdown|Michael Daly|January 7, 2015|DAILY BEAST
We just saw an edit of one called, “Doug Becomes A Feminist,” and I just really enjoyed watching it.
Coffee Talk with Fred Armisen: On ‘Portlandia,’ Meeting Obama, and Taylor Swift’s Greatness|Marlow Stern|January 7, 2015|DAILY BEAST
In Rwanda, as we watched the young fathers hold their babies, we saw a contented look in their eyes.
How Good Dads Can Change the World|Gary Barker, PhD, Michael Kaufman|January 6, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Davy looked around and saw an old man coming toward them across the lawn.
Davy and The Goblin|Charles E. Carryl
Even as they gazed they saw its roof caught up, and whirled off as if it had been a scroll of paper.
The Giant of the North|R.M. Ballantyne
In the evening, St. Peter's and its accessories were illuminated—by far the most brilliant spectacle I ever saw.
Glances at Europe|Horace Greeley
There was no fighting; a rifle shot now and then from the crests where we saw our fellows clearly.
Gallipoli Diary, Volume I|Ian Hamilton
As his eye became accustomed to the gloom, David Arden saw traces of gilding on the walls.
Checkmate|Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu

British Dictionary definitions for saw (1 of 4)

saw¹

/ (sɔː) /

noun

any of various hand tools for cutting wood, metal, etc, having a blade with teeth along one edge

any of various machines or devices for cutting by use of a toothed blade, such as a power-driven circular toothed wheel or toothed band of metal

verb saws, sawing, sawed, sawed or sawn

to cut with a saw

to form by sawing

to cut as if wielding a sawto saw the air

to move (an object) from side to side as if moving a saw

Derived forms of saw

sawer, nounsawlike, adjective

Word Origin for saw

Old English sagu; related to Old Norse sog, Old High German saga, Latin secāre to cut, secūris axe

British Dictionary definitions for saw (2 of 4)

saw²

/ (sɔː) /

verb

the past tense of see 1

British Dictionary definitions for saw (3 of 4)

saw³

/ (sɔː) /

noun

a wise saying, maxim, or proverb

Word Origin for saw

Old English sagu a saying; related to saga

British Dictionary definitions for saw (4 of 4)

SAW

abbreviation for

surface acoustic wave

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

Other Idioms and Phrases with saw

saw

see old saw.

saw

Idioms about saw

Origin of saw

OTHER WORDS FROM saw

Words nearby saw

Other definitions for saw (2 of 3)

Other definitions for saw (3 of 3)

Origin of saw

Words related to saw

How to use saw in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for saw (1 of 4)

Derived forms of saw

Word Origin for saw

British Dictionary definitions for saw (2 of 4)

British Dictionary definitions for saw (3 of 4)

Word Origin for saw

British Dictionary definitions for saw (4 of 4)

Other Idioms and Phrases with saw