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

Almost simultaneously the sewing machine reduced the time needed to make a shirt from 16 hours to two, greatly reducing clothing costs.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 2, 2026

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

Some 45 original stockholders invested alongside Hawk, a sewing machine salesman.

From Barron's ● Jun. 12, 2026

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

From BBC ● Jun. 4, 2026

The woman who had lived there before us left behind an old- fashioned sewing machine that you operated with a foot treadle.

From "The Glass Castle" by Jeannette Walls