stitch

American  

[stich] / stɪtʃ /

noun

1. one complete movement of a threaded needle through a fabric or material such as to leave behind it a single loop or portion of thread, as in sewing, embroidery, or the surgical closing of wounds.

2. a loop or portion of thread disposed in place by one such movement in sewing.

   to rip out stitches.

3. a particular mode of disposing the thread in sewing or the style of work produced by one such method.

4. one complete movement of the needle or other implement used in knitting, crocheting, netting, tatting, etc.

5. the portion of work produced.

6. a thread, bit, or piece of any fabric or of clothing.

   to remove every stitch of clothes.

7. the least bit of anything.

   He wouldn't do a stitch of work.

8. a sudden, sharp pain, especially in the intercostal muscles.

   a stitch in the side.

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verb (used with object)

1. to work upon, join, mend, or fasten with or as if with stitches; sew (often followed bytogether ).

   to stitch together flour sacks to make curtains; a plan that was barely stitched together.

2. to ornament or embellish with stitches.

   to stitch a shirt with a monogram.

verb (used without object)

1. to make stitches, join together, or sew.

idioms

1. in stitches, convulsed with laughter.

   The comedian had us in stitches all evening.

stitch British  

/ stɪtʃ /

noun

1. a link made by drawing a thread through material by means of a needle

2. a loop of yarn formed around an implement used in knitting, crocheting, etc

3. a particular method of stitching or shape of stitch

4. a sharp spasmodic pain in the side resulting from running or exercising

5. informal (usually used with a negative) the least fragment of clothing

   he wasn't wearing a stitch

6. agriculture the ridge between two furrows

7. to allow a loop of wool to fall off a knitting needle accidentally while knitting

8. informal laughing uncontrollably

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verb

1. (tr) to sew, fasten, etc, with stitches

2. (intr) to be engaged in sewing

3. (tr) to bind together (the leaves of a book, pamphlet, etc) with wire staples or thread

noun

1. an informal word for suture suture

stitch More Idioms  

More idioms and phrases containing stitch

• in stitches
• without a stitch on

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Other Word Forms

• restitch verb (used with object)
• stitcher noun
• stitchlike adjective
• unstitch verb
• unstitched adjective
• well-stitched adjective

Etymology

Origin of stitch

before 900; (noun) Middle English stiche, Old English stice a thrust, stab; cognate with German Stich prick; akin to stick ²; (v.) Middle English stichen to stab, pierce, derivative of the noun

Example Sentences

Her basket hat started well, but about a third of the way in, she got cancer “and her stitches became more and more ragged. She had trouble concentrating, trouble preparing materials,” Hammel-Sawyer said.

From Los Angeles Times

Inspired, he started making his own beats, stitching together samples and genres to create a sonic collage reflecting his tumultuous London existence.

From BBC

But across their indistinct black-and-white faces she used red thread to stitch a representation of the paths they followed from Eritrea to the U.K.

From The Wall Street Journal

That’s harmless if you’re a knitting hobbyist who might overestimate how many fellow citizens know the difference between a knit and a purl stitch.

From The Wall Street Journal

“Scary Movie” is a genuinely hilarious parody of horror tropes, while its sequels are merely decent clip packages, stitched together by increasingly weak narrative threads.

From Salon

Related Words

• fasten
• sew