stitch

American  

[stich] / stɪtʃ /

noun

• stitches
  plural

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)

• stitches,
  present (3rd person singular)
• stitched,
  past participle,  past
• stitching
  present participle

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)

• stitches,
  present (3rd person singular)
• stitched,
  past participle,  past
• stitching
  present participle

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

Derived Forms

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

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• stitches
  plural

Participles

• stitching
  present
• stitched
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• stitch
  simple
• stitches
  simple
• have stitched
  perfect
• has stitched
  perfect
• am stitching
  progressive
• are stitching
  progressive
• is stitching
  progressive
• have been stitching
  perfect progressive
• has been stitching
  perfect progressive

Past

• stitched
  simple
• had stitched
  perfect
• was stitching
  progressive
• were stitching
  progressive
• had been stitching
  perfect progressive

Future

• will stitch
  simple
• will have stitched
  perfect
• will be stitching
  progressive
• will have been stitching
  perfect progressive

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.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

stitch stitches stitched stitching

A treat for trivia fans: Which simple stitch is the basis for all other stitches?

From Slate ● Jul. 21, 2026

Lately, though, the news would make me drop a stitch.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 10, 2026

Do you think the insurance company tried to stitch me up?

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 10, 2026

"Whatever she is feeling - ab, stitch, rib, who knows - Muchova is digging deep here," former British number one Anne Keothavong said.

From BBC ● Jul. 9, 2026

That stitch in my side on my second hill run was ten times worse, and that went away no problem.

From "Keeping Pace" by Laurie Morrison

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

Three months on, she’s still too frightened to return to the hospital to have her stitches removed.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 28, 2026

I stoically cast on the requisite number of stitches, recalling the pair of socks I’d finally finished and sent to Charlie.

From "Hattie Big Sky" by Kirby Larson

Much of the stitched masterpiece, which is actually coloured yarn embroidered on linen rather than a woven tapestry, is currently covered up in giant polyester sheeting, to protect it from light damage.

From BBC ● Jul. 17, 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 bustling centre, sewing machines hummed as women stitched blankets, while others stacked thin mattresses ready to be handed out.

From Barron's ● May 25, 2026

And then we see a quilt stitched by the inmates of H.M.P.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 2, 2026

A thick, shimmering red thread stitched every piece into place.

From "Witchlings" by Claribel A. Ortega

Their tattered remnants, barely held together with patches and stitching, are poignant metaphors for a battered will that keeps fighting even as protections wear thin.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 20, 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

Some grammarians use the analogy of stitching: punctuation as the basting that holds the fabric of language in shape.

From "Eats, Shoots & Leaves" by Author

Related Words

• fasten
• sew