sew

verb

ˈsō 

sewed; sewn ˈsōn  or sewed; sewing

transitive verb

1

: to unite or fasten by stitches

2

: to close or enclose by sewing

sew the money in a bag

intransitive verb

: to practice or engage in sewing

sewability

ˌsō-ə-ˈbi-lə-tē 

noun

sewable

ˈsō-ə-bəl 

adjective

Synonyms of sew

• stitch
• suture

Examples of sew in a Sentence

She sews her own dresses by hand.

He sewed a patch onto his sleeve.

I sewed the button back on the shirt.

The surgeon sewed the wound shut.

She designs her own dresses and sews in her free time.

Recent Examples on the Web

And Bobby’s huge quilted crop top and wrap skirt show clear signs of being sewn and then taken apart and resewn. — Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 24 July 2026

This and the Twix bar have sewn on applique letters, whereas the rest of them are sewn. — Lilyanna D'amato, ARTnews.com, 22 July 2026

That yarn then becomes fabric before it is cut and sewn into a finished garment. — Tim Newcomb, Forbes.com, 21 July 2026

The performance moved smoothly along at a breakneck pace, evenly showcasing each of the big stars, while still managing to feel like a cohesive performance as opposed to just a series of snippets sewn together. — Jim Harrington, Mercury News, 19 July 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Old English sīwian; akin to Old High German siuwen to sew, Latin suere

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Phrases Containing sew

• sew up

Rhymes for sew

• beau
• beaut
• beaux
• blow
• bro
• coe
• crow
• doe
• doh
• dough
• eau
• eaux

Kids Definition

sew

verb

ˈsō 

sewed; sewn ˈsōn  or sewed; sewing

1

: to join or fasten by stitches

sew on a button

2

: to work with needle and thread