sew

¹

[soh]

verb (used with object)

sewed, sewn, sewed, sewing. 

1. to join or attach by stitches.

2. to make, repair, etc., (a garment) by such means.

3. to enclose or secure with stitches.

   to sew flour in a bag.

4. to close (a hole, wound, etc.) by means of stitches (usually followed byup ).

verb (used without object)

sewed, sewn, sewed, sewing. 

1. to work with a needle and thread or with a sewing machine.

verb phrase

1. sew up

   1. Informal.,  to get or have a monopoly of; control exclusively.

   2. Informal.,  to complete or conclude (arrangements, negotiations, etc.) successfully.

      They were about to sew up the deal when the argument started.

   3. to gain or be assured of.

      He tried to sew up as many votes as possible before the convention.

sew

²

[soo]

verb (used with object)

sewed, sewing 

1. to ground (a vessel) at low tide (sometimes followed by byup ).

verb (used without object)

sewed, sewing 

1. (of a vessel) to be grounded at low tide.

noun

1. the amount of additional water necessary to float a grounded vessel.

sew

/ səʊ /

verb

1. to join or decorate (pieces of fabric, etc) by means of a thread repeatedly passed through with a needle or similar implement

2. (tr; often foll by on or up) to attach, fasten, or close by sewing

3. (tr) to make (a garment, etc) by sewing

Other Word Forms

• sewable adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of sew¹

First recorded before 900; Middle English seuen, souen, Old English siw(i)an, siowan; cognate with Old High German siuwan, Old Norse sauma, Gothic siujan; akin to Sanskrit sī́vyati “(he) sews,” Latin suere; seam

Origin of sew²

First recorded in 1580–90; from Middle French sewer, shortening of essewer, from unattested Vulgar Latin exaquāre, equivalent to Latin ex- “out of, from, thoroughly” + verb derivative of aqua “water”; sewer ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of sew¹

Old English sēowan; related to Old Norse sӯja, Gothic siujan, Old High German siuwen, Latin suere to sew, Sanskrit sīvjati he sews

Example Sentences

Laborers trained to do jobs like sewing and woodworking were left behind after companies fled overseas.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

The anonymous artisans painstakingly sewed the feathers onto a net grid, stabilized with thin wooden rods.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Some parents are breaking out sewing machines and glue guns they haven’t used in years.

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A special mix of seeds from the MSB are being sewn to help restore the rare chalk grasslands there.

Read more on BBC

On “Fox & Friends,” commentator Crystal Wright said it would be better for the girls to learn leadership, friendship, sewing, and survival skills rather than “raising little racists.”

Read more on Salon

Related Words

• embroider 
• fasten 
• stitch 
• tailor