noun
Etymology
Origin of sewing
Middle English word dating back to 1250–1300; see origin at sew 1, -ing 1
Explanation
Sewing is the craft of stitching things using a needle and thread. If you enjoy sewing, your elaborate, hand-stitched Halloween costumes might be the envy of all your friends. Before the invention of the sewing machine in the 1800s, sewing was done by hand. This kind of sewing involves threading a needle and taking repeated stitches through fabric, to attach several pieces to each other. The sewing that goes into a modern, mass-produced piece of clothing requires speedy, electric-powered sewing machines doing all the stitching. You can also use this word for a stitching project: "Have you seen my sewing? I thought I left it on the coffee table."
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
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
For the tourists' benefit, Vlkolinec puts on traditional craft demonstrations, from sewing folk costumes and gingerbread decorating to mowing and haymaking.
From Barron's ● Jul. 3, 2026
Other recent events have focused on “lost arts,” including sewing, knitting and jewelry making, in which Edenwald residents have offered instruction and bins of yarn.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 30, 2026
When she’s not writing, she enjoys playing dominoes, sewing and spending time at the beach.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 26, 2026
One glance at Betsie’s pallid face and fragile form, and the matron waved her contemptuously back inside the barracks where the elderly and infirm spent the day sewing prison uniforms.
From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
