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

• 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

These relentless raids have sewn fear and terror into immigrant communities. —Reader Commentary, Baltimore Sun, 21 June 2025

At the midsection, detailing that strikes a similarity to lightning strikes was also sewn onto the dress. —Robyn Mowatt, Essence, 20 June 2025

The sides of the curtain are sewn with 70 ornamental strips, each representing a specific skill set. —Joelle Diderich, Footwear News, 19 June 2025

The canine's head is sewed on top of the dude's body, and Dog Man is born, a hybrid supercop with kung fu moves and mad fetch skills who battles a supervillain cat (Pete Davidson). —Brian Truitt, USA Today, 14 June 2025

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
• beaux
• blow
• boe
• 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