sewing machine

American  

noun

sewing machines plural

1. any of various foot-operated or electric machines for sewing or making stitches, ranging from machines with a shuttle for a spool of thread and a needle for sewing garments to industrial machines for sewing leather, book pages together, etc.

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sewing machine British  

noun

1. any machine designed to sew material. It is now usually driven by electric motor but is sometimes operated by a foot treadle or by hand

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• sewing machines
  plural

Etymology

Origin of sewing machine

An Americanism dating back to 1840–50

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

sewing machine

It features the base of an old sewing machine pasted over with a cigar box wrapper and the oft-reoccurring theme of a moon, sun and stars.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 28, 2026

Student, Emma Harrow, borrowed a sewing machine to teach herself to make alterations to clothes.

From BBC ● Jun. 4, 2026

Still, sometimes the light at the end of the tunnel is not always visible from behind a classroom sewing machine.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 11, 2026

In 1833, he invented a lock-stitch sewing machine that used two threads, one passing through a loop in the other, with both threads interlocking.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 12, 2026

I have no idea how long the knocking’s been going on when it dawns on me that the noise I’m hearing isn’t coming from my sewing machine acting up but from someone at the window.

From "I'll Give You the Sun" by Jandy Nelson