stitch
Americannoun
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stitches
plural
-
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.
-
a loop or portion of thread disposed in place by one such movement in sewing.
to rip out stitches.
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a particular mode of disposing the thread in sewing or the style of work produced by one such method.
-
one complete movement of the needle or other implement used in knitting, crocheting, netting, tatting, etc.
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the portion of work produced.
-
a thread, bit, or piece of any fabric or of clothing.
to remove every stitch of clothes.
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the least bit of anything.
He wouldn't do a stitch of work.
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a sudden, sharp pain, especially in the intercostal muscles.
a stitch in the side.
verb (used with object)
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stitches,
present (3rd person singular)
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stitched,
past participle, past
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stitching
present participle
-
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.
-
to ornament or embellish with stitches.
to stitch a shirt with a monogram.
verb (used without object)
-
stitches,
present (3rd person singular)
-
stitched,
past participle, past
-
stitching
present participle
idioms
noun
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a link made by drawing a thread through material by means of a needle
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a loop of yarn formed around an implement used in knitting, crocheting, etc
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a particular method of stitching or shape of stitch
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a sharp spasmodic pain in the side resulting from running or exercising
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informal (usually used with a negative) the least fragment of clothing
he wasn't wearing a stitch
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agriculture the ridge between two furrows
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to allow a loop of wool to fall off a knitting needle accidentally while knitting
-
informal laughing uncontrollably
verb
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(tr) to sew, fasten, etc, with stitches
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(intr) to be engaged in sewing
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(tr) to bind together (the leaves of a book, pamphlet, etc) with wire staples or thread
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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stitchernoun
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unstitchverb
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restitchverb (used with object)
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stitchlikeadjective
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unstitchedadjective
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well-stitchedadjective
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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stitchsimple
-
stitchessimple
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have stitchedperfect
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has stitchedperfect
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am stitchingprogressive
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are stitchingprogressive
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is stitchingprogressive
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have been stitchingperfect progressive
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has been stitchingperfect progressive
Past
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stitchedsimple
-
had stitchedperfect
-
was stitchingprogressive
-
were stitchingprogressive
-
had been stitchingperfect progressive
Future
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
Explanation
When a needle pulls thread through fabric and into a loop, that's a stitch. Every quilt, no matter how elaborate, starts with a single stitch. You can stitch a design on a pillow, or stitch up a hole in your jeans using stitches. Doctors sometimes stitch up patients' skin, too — if you cut yourself badly enough, you might need stitches. Another kind of stitch is a painful cramp in your stomach or side: "I stopped running when I got a stitch." If someone says, "I haven't got a stitch to wear," they're short on clothing. And being "in stitches" means laughing uncontrollably.
Vocabulary lists containing stitch
"Icarus and Daedalus"
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Sewing Away
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"Mister Monster"
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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.
See Examples For:
“Knowing you’re leading a group that is behind you is a lot easier than trying to stitch together a consensus story for a group that really doesn’t have a consensus,” he said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 17, 2026
It was all part of a gargantuan effort to stitch together a comprehensive inventory.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 8, 2026
A treat for trivia fans: Which simple stitch is the basis for all other stitches?
From Slate ● Jul. 21, 2026
Not only did the Spain captain steer his side to a first triumph since 2010 and stitch a second star on the national shirt, but he was also crowned player of the tournament.
From BBC ● Jul. 20, 2026
"But this is what I mean about luck—they caught the burglars, and we got every last stitch back."
From "How the García Girls Lost Their Accents" by Julia Alvarez
Yet, here, there are no visible stitches, no scars or seams.
From Salon ● Aug. 20, 2026
The 39-year-old, who practised as a vet in Pakistan, patched himself up with glue stitches rather than wait at A&E. He said his children are now fearful of being attacked in school.
From BBC ● Aug. 2, 2026
A treat for trivia fans: Which simple stitch is the basis for all other stitches?
From Slate ● Jul. 21, 2026
He began experimenting with a sewing machine and, in 1846, introduced a foot-powered model that could sew 250 stitches a minute, outracing the fastest human hands by a factor of five.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 9, 2026
The dog just needed some stitches to close up the cut on his head.
From "Eleven" by Tom Rogers
Using keyhole surgery, Theo's organs were then gently pushed back inside his abdomen, which was stitched closed.
From BBC ● Aug. 3, 2026
The finished product was more like a compilation of shot-for-shot music video and live performance recreations, stitched together with vignettes depicting a tepid version of Jackson’s real, tumultuous life.
From Salon ● Jul. 8, 2026
At the camp, nearly 200 families are crammed into fragile shelters stitched together from straw, torn fabric and sheets of plastic.
From Barron's ● Jun. 29, 2026
“I have no words, he is stitched up and in recovery,” Krahenbuhl wrote.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 1, 2026
His clothes were finely made and colorful, his jerkin and leggings stitched in braided sinew dyed red, and edged in some kind of bird skin stained green.
From "Wolf Brother" by Michelle Paver
I learned sashiko stitching and footwear design and created some really cool footwear.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 11, 2026
Morgan analyst Tien-Tsin Huang asked about the deals on the earnings call, saying that the combined effort seemed to come with “above-average risk … because you’re stitching together the three assets.”
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 18, 2026
It may well be true that stitching multicultural communities together requires us to be more curious, inclusive neighbors.
From Slate ● May 26, 2026
He points out that visible stitching is a key component in the design of many fashionable garments, perhaps most famously jeans.
From BBC ● May 18, 2026
He has muscles that could crush my head with a flex, and he wears a black dashiki with the cosmos sewn directly into the stitching.
From "Kwame Crashes the Underworld" by Craig Kofi Farmer
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.
