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

• darn
• 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

The preparation of 35 bows was next; they were shaped and ironed one by one before they were sewn at the specified points along the chevron pattern created by the ribbons. —Romany Williams, Los Angeles Times, 11 Sep. 2024

The bodice was created in a chantilly lace to form small ruffles at the neckline, and satin ribbons in celestial blue were sewn in to create small straps. —Alexandra MacOn, Vogue, 8 Sep. 2024

Up close, the garment appeared to be made entirely of different pairs of boxers that were sewed together to create a ruffle effect. —Esme Mazzeo, Peoplemag, 12 Aug. 2024

And after the robot’s done with its part, then the human comes back in and puts the implant into that hole in the skull and covers it up, screwing it down to the skull and sewing the skin back together. —Jonathan Limehouse, USA TODAY, 5 Aug. 2024

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

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