hew

¹

[ hyooor, often, yoo ]

verb (used with object)

, hewed, hewed or hewn, hew·ing.

1. to strike forcibly with an ax, sword, or other cutting instrument; chop; hack.
2. to make, shape, smooth, etc., with cutting blows:

   to hew a passage through the crowd; to hew a statue from marble.

   Synonyms: form

3. to sever (a part) from a whole by means of cutting blows (usually followed by away, off, out, from, etc.):

   to hew branches from the tree.

4. to cut down; fell:

   to hew wood; trees hewed down by the storm.

verb (used without object)

, hewed, hewed or hewn, hew·ing.

1. to strike with cutting blows; cut:

   He hewed more vigorously each time.

2. to uphold, follow closely, or conform (usually followed by to ):

   to hew to the tenets of one's political party.

HEW

²

abbreviation for

1. Department of Health, Education, and Welfare.

HEW

¹

abbreviation for

1. Department of Health, Education, and Welfare

hew

²

/ hjuː /

verb

1. to strike (something, esp wood) with cutting blows, as with an axe
2. troften foll byout to shape or carve from a substance
3. tr; often foll by away, down, from, off, etc to sever from a larger or another portion
4. introften foll byto to conform (to a code, principle, etc)

Derived Forms

• ˈhewer, noun

Other Words From

• hewa·ble adjective
• hewer noun
• un·hewa·ble adjective
• un·hewed adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of hew¹

First recorded before 900; Middle English hewen, Old English hēawan; cognate with German hauen, Old Norse hǫggva; akin to haggle

Word History and Origins

Origin of hew¹

Old English hēawan; related to Old Norse heggva, Old Saxon hāwa, Old High German houwan, Latin cūdere to beat

Synonym Study

See cut.

Example Sentences

If Donald Trump thinks he’s going to fire all the “woke” commanders in the military and replace them with Republican loyalists who hew to the discriminatory party line of Trumpism, he’s going to end up with a hollow military.

From Salon

Polling has shown Garvey was right to hew to the middle.

From Los Angeles Times

If Kamala Harris wins, she will likely hew closer to Biden’s views and policies, but may find it no easier than he has to deal with the world’s conflicts and threats.

From Slate

Burton told Blundell in an initial meeting that he wanted the effects in “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice” to hew closely to the original film’s handmade style, and that whatever they could do “practical to camera, we will be doing practical to camera.”

From Los Angeles Times

In this regard, she and Helaena hew closer to traditional medieval mysticism, which did not typically use sex for religious emancipation, rather than the practices ascribed to some of the more esoteric heretical sects.

From Salon

Related Words

• cleave