hewed

past tense of hew
1
as in mowed
to bring down by cutting laboriously hewed trees to build their rude log cabins

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2
as in adhered
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 hewed The runway collection in general hewed more toward the younger crowd with pedal pushers and mini-shifts that many 80-year-olds would have worn in their youths. — ABC News, 24 Sep. 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 His tenure lasted until 1962, during which time he was joined by the notable poet and critic Edwin Denby, whose work hewed rather firmly to criticism. — Encyclopedia Britannica, 22 Apr. 2026 Like many cities in the report, Dallas also actually saw a year-over-year effective salary bump, likely because of slightly lower effective tax rates and living costs that have hewed closer to the national average. — Trevor Bach, Dallas Morning News, 5 Mar. 2026 Independents hewed more closely to the Democratic view with 76% disapproving and 24% approving. — Steven Martinez, jsonline.com, 25 Feb. 2026 The Biden administration hewed closely to the same policy. — CBS News, 25 Feb. 2026 San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan, the newest major candidate to enter the race, hewed toward partisan middle ground, chastising leaders in Sacramento for allowing the state budget to balloon without tangible improvements to housing affordability, homelessness and public schools. — Seema Mehta, Los Angeles Times, 22 Feb. 2026 In the ensuing years, Wu publicly hewed harder into right-wing talking points about trans people. — Samantha Riedel, Them., 3 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hewed
Verb
  • The island where the marram grass was transplanted was mowed in the past.
    — Doug Ross, Chicago Tribune, 28 Sep. 2026
  • The Twins participated in one earlier this season when Cleveland’s Gavin Williams mowed them down on July 23.
    — Dan Hayes, New York Times, 26 Aug. 2026
Verb
  • Earlier versions adhered more closely to the facts of what happened to Pam.
    — Josh Rivera, USA Today, 3 Aug. 2026
  • But a new fastest time from UAE’s Florian Vermeersch on June 2 of this year — 23km at an average speed of 75kmh — suggests that not everyone has adhered.
    — Chris Marshall-Bell, New York Times, 29 June 2026
Verb
  • For three years, as Israeli bombs made ruins of the ground, some of the trees and vines had clung to life in the spongy layer of clay below.
    — Ghada Abdulfattah, Christian Science Monitor, 2 Oct. 2026
  • The 90-year-old Abbas has clung to power since his own mandate expired in 2009, while Hamas continues to control parts of Gaza three years into a brutal war with Israel.
    — Abby Sewell, Los Angeles Times, 29 Sep. 2026
Verb
  • Leaders get stuck because of a mindset, a relationship or a system that nobody has ever named out loud.
    — Drew McLellan, Forbes.com, 2 Oct. 2026
  • Still, getting ourselves out via some traction boards would have saved on money, frustration and the embarrassment that accompanies getting stuck less than a mile from the highway.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 1 Oct. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Hewed.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hewed. Accessed 5 Oct. 2026.

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