hew

verb

ˈhyü How to pronounce hew (audio)
Definition of hewnext
1
as in to mow
to bring down by cutting laboriously hewed trees to build their rude log cabins

Synonyms & Similar Words

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2
as in to adhere
to hold to something firmly as if by adhesion decided to hew to the original plan rather than change everything

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of hew Thousands of years ago, the region was the southernmost capital of the Nabataeans—the ancient civilization that built Petra—whose ornate tombs are hewn into the rocks. — Ruby Tandoh, New Yorker, 7 Sep. 2026 But the village, which the story goes was hewn out of the wilderness, never took off that way. — Frank Witsil, Freep.com, 7 Sep. 2026 While Marino has worked with some of the world’s top collectors, from Bernard Arnault to David Martinez, his taste is one that doesn’t hew at all to market trends. — Daniel Cassady, ARTnews.com, 27 Aug. 2026 Chaucer, Shakespeare and Milton are examples of authors who hewed closely to writers who had come before them. — Roger J. Kreuz, The Conversation, 21 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for hew
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hew
  1. mow
  2. adhere
  3. fell
  4. stick
  5. cling
Verb
  • Mock skeletons are everywhere in the weeks leading up to Halloween, but a real one turned up as someone was mowing grass in eastern North Carolina, police say.
    — Mark Price, Charlotte Observer, 4 Oct. 2026
  • The island where the marram grass was transplanted was mowed in the past.
    — Doug Ross, Chicago Tribune, 28 Sep. 2026
Definition of mow
Verb
  • McCarthy and his co-screenwriters, Noé Debré and Thomas Bidegain, have adhered closely to the actual transcripts of the conference in their efforts to recreate it.
    — Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 6 Oct. 2026
  • Scatter about half of panko mixture over, pressing in with your hands to adhere.
    — Jesse Szewczyk, Bon Appetit Magazine, 8 Sep. 2026
Definition of adhere
Verb
  • Yet trees that took a millennium to grow can be felled in under an hour.
    — Annika Hammerschlag, Los Angeles Times, 16 Sep. 2026
  • Vines are pulled away from fences, and sometimes trees are even felled.
    — The Washington Post, San Diego Union-Tribune, 12 Sep. 2026
Definition of fell
Verb
  • So imagine my surprise when the one innovation to stick — literally — turns out to be one marketed for men.
    — Jenny B. Fine, Footwear News, 9 Oct. 2026
  • In a cozy suburb of Minneapolis, a guy in a blue jumpsuit is once again stuck aboard a space station with his robot pals, watching the worst movies ever made.
    — Joe Otterson, Variety, 9 Oct. 2026
Definition of stick
Verb
  • Although a horrifying sea creature sits at the center of the show, this story is about a man desperate to cling to a decaying past, a grieving family and how greed can create monsters.
    — Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 8 Oct. 2026
  • Selling this promise of a technological future to those clinging to the dream of American prosperity was an especially potent exercise during the Depression.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 7 Oct. 2026
Definition of cling

Phrases Containing hew

Browse Nearby Words

het up
hew
hewed
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Cite this Entry

“Hew.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hew. Accessed 11 Oct. 2026.

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