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

Relevance
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
  • Instead, lawn-mowing machines shred them, leaving plastic fragments in the soil for a very long time.
    — Maryna Holovnova, New Atlas, 16 Oct. 2026
  • Soil fertility is mostly beside the point, and even an inconvenience, since lawns have to be mowed, leaves blown into piles, and pollen hosed off windshields in the spring.
    — James Whorton Jr, Longreads, 13 Oct. 2026
Definition of mow
Verb
  • As such, the press is not allowed to publish details that might lead to any of the accusers being identified, and coverage of the trial will adhere strictly to what happens in court.
    — Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 12 Oct. 2026
  • Top with reserved hazelnuts and press in gently to adhere (surface will be smothered with nuts).
    — Tanya Bush, Bon Appetit Magazine, 10 Oct. 2026
Definition of adhere
Verb
  • Griess, the superintendent of the National Mall and Memorial Parks, said the 430 trees that were felled were not identified as hazardous or raising safety concerns.
    — Melissa Quinn, CBS News, 12 Oct. 2026
  • Yet trees that took a millennium to grow can be felled in under an hour.
    — Annika Hammerschlag, Los Angeles Times, 16 Sep. 2026
Definition of fell
Verb
  • Raichlen’s career, in a way, is similar in that he’s never been stuck in the lane of writing about barbecuing only brisket and pork.
    — Katelyn Umholtz, Kansas City Star, 23 Oct. 2026
  • Hopefully, Goover will stick the landing with its product, and stick around for a while to come.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 23 Oct. 2026
Definition of stick
Verb
  • In the meantime, the migrants had to tread water, alone in the immense, dark ocean, with little to cling to but debris and each other.
    — Jack Dolan, Los Angeles Times, 21 Oct. 2026
  • In the house, his children clung to a ceiling fan as rising water pushed their mattress toward the ceiling.
    — Abe Streep, ProPublica, 21 Oct. 2026
Definition of cling

Phrases Containing hew

Browse Nearby Words

het up
hew
hewed
See all Nearby Words

Podcast

Cite this Entry

“Hew.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hew. Accessed 26 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

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

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of disparate

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Can' vs. 'May'

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

More Commonly Mispronounced Words

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Why do we 'bury the lede?'

'Za' and 9 Other Words to Help You Win at SCRABBLE
See More

Popular

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
different halloween monsters in silhouette
A Monstrous Vocab Quiz Words That Go Bump in the Night
See All