hew

¹ American  

[hyoo, yoo] / hyu, yu /

verb (used with object)

hewed, hewed, hewn, hewing

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.

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verb (used without object)

hewed, hewed, hewn, hewing

1. to strike with cutting blows; cut.

   He hewed more vigorously each time.

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

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

HEW ² American  

abbreviation

1. Department of Health, Education, and Welfare.

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hew ¹ British  

/ hjuː /

verb

1. to strike (something, esp wood) with cutting blows, as with an axe

2. 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. to conform (to a code, principle, etc)

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HEW ² British  

abbreviation

1. Department of Health, Education, and Welfare

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Related Words

See cut.

Other Word Forms

• hewable adjective
• hewer noun
• unhewable adjective
• unhewed adjective

Etymology

Origin of hew

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

Example Sentences

Microdramas hew to an established formula, with each installment ending on a cliffhanger that pushes its often preposterous story line toward a final, usually shocking reveal.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 18, 2026

The deals appear to closely hew to the same lines as the earlier deals with Pfizer and AstraZeneca, which were seen as significant wins for the industry.

From Barron's • Dec. 19, 2025

With changes to tax law, the Dec. 31 deadline has become almost arbitrary, yet people still hew to old habits.

From MarketWatch • Dec. 19, 2025

They dig deep and meandering tunnels - and hew out rocks to sell to mostly Chinese buyers, who then extract copper.

From BBC • Jul. 25, 2025

Mr. O’Halloran tells the class it’s a disgrace that boys like McCourt, Clarke, Kennedy, have to hew wood and draw water.

From "Angela's Ashes: A Memoir" by Frank McCourt

Related Words

• cleave