sew

¹

[ soh ]

verb (used with object)

, sewed, sewn or sewed, sew·ing.

1. to join or attach by stitches.
2. to make, repair, etc., (a garment) by such means.
3. to enclose or secure with stitches:

   to sew flour in a bag.

4. to close (a hole, wound, etc.) by means of stitches (usually followed by up ).

verb (used without object)

, sewed, sewn or sewed, sew·ing.

1. to work with a needle and thread or with a sewing machine.

verb phrase

1. 1. Informal. to get or have a monopoly of; control exclusively.
   2. Informal. to complete or conclude (arrangements, negotiations, etc.) successfully:

      They were about to sew up the deal when the argument started.

   3. to gain or be assured of:

      He tried to sew up as many votes as possible before the convention.

sew

²

[ soo ]

verb (used with object)

, sewed, sew·ing.

1. to ground (a vessel) at low tide (sometimes followed by by up ).

verb (used without object)

, sewed, sew·ing.

1. (of a vessel) to be grounded at low tide.

noun

1. the amount of additional water necessary to float a grounded vessel.

sew

/ səʊ /

verb

1. to join or decorate (pieces of fabric, etc) by means of a thread repeatedly passed through with a needle or similar implement
2. tr; often foll by on or up to attach, fasten, or close by sewing
3. tr to make (a garment, etc) by sewing

Other Words From

• sewa·ble adjective noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of sew¹

First recorded before 900; Middle English seuen, souen, Old English siw(i)an, siowan; cognate with Old High German siuwan, Old Norse sauma, Gothic siujan; akin to Sanskrit sī́vyati “(he) sews,” Latin suere; seam

Origin of sew²

First recorded in 1580–90; from Middle French sewer, shortening of essewer, from unattested Vulgar Latin exaquāre, equivalent to Latin ex- “out of, from, thoroughly” + verb derivative of aqua “water”; sewer ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of sew¹

Old English sēowan; related to Old Norse sӯja, Gothic siujan, Old High German siuwen, Latin suere to sew, Sanskrit sīvjati he sews

Example Sentences

In one instance, according to the lawsuit, Brock said, “I’m going to sew her up virgin-tight” in front of her husband and parents after childbirth.

From Los Angeles Times

“If I can just get somebody to come in and learn how to sew and learn how to repair their clothes, and that’s all that they got from it, they’re still going to go home and repair their clothes and they’re still doing something anticapitalist,” they said.

From Los Angeles Times

His motivation was simple: He wanted to learn to sew so he could fix damaged clothing like this T-shirt.

From Los Angeles Times

They learned to mend, sew and buy secondhand from their mother.

From Los Angeles Times

Back then, I thought the only way to work in fashion was to become a fashion designer, so I started studying fashion design, but quickly realized I didn’t have the patience to sew a button-down shirt.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• embroider
• fasten
• stitch
• tailor