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.
My mother made all our clothes on a Singer sewing machine for years.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 16, 2026
“When they all get together,” said the father of a recent Power Four conference kicker, “it’s basically a sewing circle where they all talk to each other: ‘Hey, I got this,’ ‘I’m getting this.’
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 7, 2026
She said hobbies such as cooking, sewing and gardening were her generation's "rejection of this hyper-digital world that feels really all-consuming".
From BBC ● Aug. 30, 2026
Founded in 1862 by Adam Opel, the company produced sewing machines and later bicycles, before venturing into car manufacturing in 1899 at its Ruesselsheim site.
From Barron's ● Aug. 16, 2026
As I bent down to collect them, I bumped the sewing basket off Aunt Kitty’s chair and heard the sound of a hundred tiny straight pins ping their way across my aunt’s freshly swept floor.
From "The Detective's Assistant" by Kate Hannigan
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.
