saw

1 of 4

past tense of see

saw

2 of 4

noun (1)

: a hand or power tool or a machine used to cut hard material (such as wood, metal, or bone) and equipped usually with a toothed blade or disk
sawlike adjective

saw

3 of 4

verb

sawed ˈsȯd How to pronounce saw (audio) ; sawed or sawn ˈsȯn How to pronounce saw (audio) ; sawing ˈsȯ(-)iŋ How to pronounce saw (audio)

transitive verb

1
: to cut with a saw
2
: to produce or form by cutting with a saw
3
: to slash as though with a saw

intransitive verb

1
a
: to use a saw
b
: to cut with or as if with a saw
2
: to undergo cutting with a saw
3
: to make motions as though using a saw
sawed at the reins
sawer noun

saw

4 of 4

noun

Examples of saw in a Sentence

Verb He sawed the boards in half. This blade is too dull for sawing. Noun it's an old saw that a red sunset presages fair skies the next day
Recent Examples on the Web
These examples are automatically compiled from online sources to illustrate current usage. Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Noun
Many hands make light work, the old saw has it, and many heads explain light. Adam Gopnik, The New Yorker, 28 Oct. 2024 Some Japanese pruning saws are rigid, others fold up for easy transport and greater safety. Luke Miller, Better Homes & Gardens, 20 Oct. 2024
Verb
Of course, the only way to save the woman is by sawing off her arm. Claire Franken, TVLine, 24 Oct. 2024 Before it was sawed apart, Duccio’s Maestà could only be viewed in one place. Alex Greenberger, ARTnews.com, 11 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for saw 

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

Middle English sagh, sawe, going back to Old English sagu (strong feminine noun), going back to Germanic *sagō (whence also Middle Dutch sage "saw," Old High German saga, Old Icelandic sǫg) beside *segō (whence Middle Dutch sege "saw," Old High German sega), noun derivatives from a dialectal Indo-European verbal base *sek- "cut," whence also Middle Irish tescaid "(s/he) cuts, severs" (regularized from a presumed verb doˑesc, perhaps from *to-eks-sk-), Latin secō, secāre "to cut, sever, make an incision," Old Church Slavic sěkǫ, sěšti "to cut down, fell, hew," Bosnian-Croatian-Serbian sijèčēm, sjȅći "to cut, chop, hew"

Note: The base *sek- is peculiar to northwest (or European) Indo-European, being attested in Celtic, Italic, Germanic, and Slavic; *sek- is perhaps ultimately the same base as *skeh2-, *skh2- "cut open, flay"; see etymology and note at science.

Verb

Middle English sawen, derivative of sawe saw entry 2

Noun

Middle English sawe, from Old English sagu discourse; akin to Old High German & Old Norse saga tale, Old English secgan to say — more at say entry 1

First Known Use

Noun (1)

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined above

Verb

13th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Noun

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of saw was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near saw

Cite this Entry

“Saw.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/saw. Accessed 12 Nov. 2024.

Kids Definition

saw

1 of 4

past of see

saw

2 of 4 noun
: a hand or power tool or a machine used to cut hard material and equipped usually with a tooth-edged blade

saw

3 of 4 verb
sawed ˈsȯd How to pronounce saw (audio) ; sawed or sawn ˈsȯn How to pronounce saw (audio) ; sawing ˈsȯ(-)iŋ How to pronounce saw (audio)
: to cut or shape with a saw

saw

4 of 4 noun
: a common saying : proverb

Medical Definition

saw

1 of 2

past of see

saw

2 of 2 noun
: a hand or power tool used to cut hard material (as bone) and equipped usually with a toothed blade or disk

More from Merriam-Webster on saw

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!