sewing

[soh-ing]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR sewing ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

the act or work of one who sews.

something sewn or to be sewn.

Origin of sewing

Middle English word dating back to 1250–1300; see origin at sew¹, -ing¹

sew

[soh]

verb (used with object), sewed, sewn or sewed, sew·ing.

to join or attach by stitches.

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

to enclose or secure with stitches: to sew flour in a bag.

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

verb (used without object), sewed, sewn or sewed, sew·ing.

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

Verb Phrases

sew up,

Informal.to get or have a monopoly of; control exclusively.
Informal.to complete or conclude (arrangements, negotiations, etc.) successfully: They were about to sew up the deal when the argument started.
to gain or be assured of: He tried to sew up as many votes as possible before the convention.

Origin of sew

before 900; Middle English sewen, Old English siw(i)an; cognate with Old High German siuwan, Gothic siujan, Latin suere (see suture); akin to seam

Related formssew·a·ble, adjective, noun

sew

[soo]Nautical

verb (used with object), sewed, sew·ing.

to ground (a vessel) at low tide (sometimes fol by up).

verb (used without object), sewed, sew·ing.

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

noun

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

Origin of sew

1505–15; < Middle French sewer, aphetic variant of essewer < Vulgar Latin *exaquāre, equivalent to Latin ex- ex-¹ + aqu(a) water + -āre infinitive suffix

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for sewing

tailoring, mending, needlework, stitchery, seaming, needlecraft, dressmaking

Examples from the Web for sewing

Contemporary Examples of sewing

Like drawing tattoos, sewing earmuffs, or fashioning model airplanes from old chip bags?
How a ‘Real Housewife’ Survives Prison: ‘I Don’t See [Teresa Giudice] Having a Cakewalk Here’
Michael Howard
January 6, 2015
Her daughter, Elaina, 24, a trained costume designer and makeup artist, helps out by sewing clothes.
Inside A Finishing School for Transwomen
Sharon Adarlo
December 27, 2014
Today all of “these girls are living their lives in dignity, using needles and sewing machines,” said Sister Rosemary.
Live from San Antonio: Women in the World Texas!
Women in the World
October 23, 2014
Such products are not suited for the rigours of public life, and need to be adapted, at the very least by sewing in hem weights.
Kate Middleton's History of Flesh-Flashing Wardrobe Malfunctions
Tom Sykes
May 29, 2014
Before you knew it, I had a needle in my hand and was making patterns and sewing.
Fashion Designer Michele Savoia Found Dead in Hudson River
Erin Cunningham
February 17, 2014

Historical Examples of sewing

She had taken her sewing again, and she bent her head over it as if she were ashamed.
Tiverton Tales
Alice Brown
Why, I don't earn that amount of money by six months' sewing.
The Three Cities Trilogy, Complete
Emile Zola
For her mother, sewing and cooking had been accomplishments; for her they were work.
Southern Lights and Shadows
Various
While he talked she would sit with her sewing, now and then putting in a question to help.
The Harbor
Ernest Poole
Women with peaceful faces could be seen bent over their sewing.
L'Assommoir
Emile Zola

British Dictionary definitions for sewing

sewing

noun

a piece of cloth, etc, that is sewn or to be sewn
(as modifier)sewing basket

sew

verb sews, sewing, sewed, sewn or sewed

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

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

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

Word Origin for sew

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

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

Word Origin and History for sewing

late 13c., "action of sewing;" c.1400, "sewn work," verbal noun from sew (v.). Sewing machine is attested from 1847.

sew

Old English siwian "to stitch, sew, mend, patch, knit together," earlier siowian, from Proto-Germanic *siwjanan (cf. Old Norse syja, Swedish sy, Danish sye, Old Frisian sia, Old High German siuwan, Gothic siujan "to sew"), from PIE root *syu- "to bind, sew" (cf. Sanskrit sivyati "sews," sutram "thread, string;" Greek hymen "thin skin, membrane," hymnos "song;" Latin suere "to sew, sew together;" Old Church Slavonic šijo "to sew," šivu "seam;" Lettish siuviu, siuti "to sew," siuvikis "tailor;" Russian švec "tailor"). Related: Sewed; sewing. To sew (something) up "bring it to a conclusion" is a figurative use attested by 1904.