sew


Also found in: Thesaurus, Medical, Legal, Financial, Acronyms, Idioms, Encyclopedia, Wikipedia.

sew

fasten by stitches made with needle and thread; make clothes with cloth: She will sew a party dress for me.
Not to be confused with:
so – in the way or manner indicated; in order that: Please RSVP so that we’ll know how many reservations to make.; to the extent or degree indicated: I feel so good.
sow – scatter seed on the earth; to plant: sow a crop; circulate
Abused, Confused, & Misused Words by Mary Embree Copyright © 2007, 2013 by Mary Embree

sew

 (sō)
v. sewed, sewn (sōn) or sewed, sew·ing, sews
v.tr.
1. To make, repair, or fasten by stitching, as with a needle and thread or a sewing machine: sew a dress; sew on a button.
2. To furnish with stitches for the purpose of closing, fastening, or attaching: sew an incision closed.
v.intr.
To work with a needle and thread or with a sewing machine.
Phrasal Verb:
sew up Informal
1. To complete successfully: Our team has sewn up the championship.
2. To gain complete control of; monopolize.
3. To make sure of: campaign strategists who were trying to sew up the election results.

[Middle English sewen, from Old English seowian; see syū- in Indo-European roots.]

sew′a·ble adj.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

sew

(səʊ)
vb, sews, sewing, sewed, sewn or sewed
1. (Knitting & Sewing) to join or decorate (pieces of fabric, etc) by means of a thread repeatedly passed through with a needle or similar implement
2. (Knitting & Sewing) (tr; often foll by on or up) to attach, fasten, or close by sewing
3. (Knitting & Sewing) (tr) to make (a garment, etc) by sewing
[Old English sēowan; related to Old Norse sӯja, Gothic siujan, Old High German siuwen, Latin suere to sew, Sanskrit sīvjati he sews]
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

sew

(soʊ)

v. sewed, sewn sewed, sew•ing. v.t.
1. to join or attach by stitches.
2. to make, repair, etc., by such means: She sewed her own wedding gown.
3. to enclose or secure with stitches: to sew flour in a bag.
4. to close (a hole, wound, etc.) by means of stitches (usu. fol. by up).
v.i.
5. to work with a needle and thread or with a sewing machine.
6. sew up, Informal. to get, have, accomplish, or control successfully or completely: to sew up a deal; to sew up votes at a convention.
[before 900; Middle English; Old English siw(i)an, c. Old Frisian siā, Old High German siuwan, Old Norse sȳja, Gothic siujan, Latin suere (see suture); akin to seam]
sew′a•ble, adj., n.
sew`a•bil′i•ty, n.
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.

sow

sew

The verbs sow and sew are both pronounced (/səʊ/).

1. 'sow'

If you sow seeds, you plant them in the ground. The past tense of sow is sowed. The past participle can be either sown or sowed. Sown is more common.

An enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat.
Spring wheat should be sown as early as you can get the land ready.
2. 'sew'

If you sew, you join pieces of cloth together by passing thread through them with a needle. The past tense of sew is sewed. The past participle can be either sewn or sewed. Sewn is more common.

She sewed all her own dresses.
Before I went to Alice Springs I had never sewn a dress or mended a sock.
Collins COBUILD English Usage © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 2004, 2011, 2012

sew


Past participle: sewn
Gerund: sewing

Imperative
sew
sew
Present
I sew
you sew
he/she/it sews
we sew
you sew
they sew
Preterite
I sewed
you sewed
he/she/it sewed
we sewed
you sewed
they sewed
Present Continuous
I am sewing
you are sewing
he/she/it is sewing
we are sewing
you are sewing
they are sewing
Present Perfect
I have sewn
you have sewn
he/she/it has sewn
we have sewn
you have sewn
they have sewn
Past Continuous
I was sewing
you were sewing
he/she/it was sewing
we were sewing
you were sewing
they were sewing
Past Perfect
I had sewn
you had sewn
he/she/it had sewn
we had sewn
you had sewn
they had sewn
Future
I will sew
you will sew
he/she/it will sew
we will sew
you will sew
they will sew
Future Perfect
I will have sewn
you will have sewn
he/she/it will have sewn
we will have sewn
you will have sewn
they will have sewn
Future Continuous
I will be sewing
you will be sewing
he/she/it will be sewing
we will be sewing
you will be sewing
they will be sewing
Present Perfect Continuous
I have been sewing
you have been sewing
he/she/it has been sewing
we have been sewing
you have been sewing
they have been sewing
Future Perfect Continuous
I will have been sewing
you will have been sewing
he/she/it will have been sewing
we will have been sewing
you will have been sewing
they will have been sewing
Past Perfect Continuous
I had been sewing
you had been sewing
he/she/it had been sewing
we had been sewing
you had been sewing
they had been sewing
Conditional
I would sew
you would sew
he/she/it would sew
we would sew
you would sew
they would sew
Past Conditional
I would have sewn
you would have sewn
he/she/it would have sewn
we would have sewn
you would have sewn
they would have sewn
Collins English Verb Tables © HarperCollins Publishers 2011
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
Verb1.sew - fasten by sewing; do needlework
hem - fold over and sew together to provide with a hem; "hem my skirt"
resew - sew again; "The cuff of the coat had been resewn"
overcast - sew with an overcast stitch from one section to the next; "overcast books"
overcast - sew over the edge of with long slanting wide stitches
backstitch - do backstitches
pucker, tuck, gather - draw together into folds or puckers
finedraw - sew together very finely
fell - sew a seam by folding the edges
baste, tack - sew together loosely, with large stitches; "baste a hem"
hemstitch - sew with hemstitches; "hemstitch a sleeve"
retick, tick - sew; "tick a mattress"
fasten, fix, secure - cause to be firmly attached; "fasten the lock onto the door"; "she fixed her gaze on the man"
cast on - make the first row of stitches when knitting
cast off - make the last row of stitches when knitting
2.sew - create (clothes) with cloth; "Can the seamstress sew me a suit by next week?"
fashion, forge - make out of components (often in an improvising manner); "She fashioned a tent out of a sheet and a few sticks"
run up - make by sewing together quickly; "run up a skirt"
quilt - create by stitching together
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.

sew

verb
1. stitch, tack, seam, hem, baste Anyone can sew a hem, including you.
sew something up
1. mend, repair, patch up, darn, stitch up Next day, she decided to sew up the rip.
2. secure, confirm, assure, decide, determine, settle, conclude, seal, clinch Why hadn't Shearson tried to sew up the deal before its public disclosure?
Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002
Translations
šítpřišít
sy
kudri
ommella
šivati
varrmegvarr
sauma
縫う
꿰매다
suo
išspręstassiūtisiuvimo mašinasudarytasužsiūti
piešūtsašūtšūt
šiť
šitišivati
sy
เย็บ
khâu

sew

[səʊ] (sewed (pt) (sewn) (sewed (pp)))
A. VT to sew a button on or onto sthcoser un botón en algo
B. VIcoser
sew up VT + ADV (gen) → coser; (mend) → remendar
it's all sewn up (fig) → está todo arreglado
Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

sew

[ˈsəʊ] [sewed] (pt) [sewn] (pp)
vtcoudre
vicoudre
sew on
vt sepcoudre
Do you know how to sew on a button? → Tu sais coudre un bouton?
sew up
vt sep
[+ tear, hole, sleeve] → recoudre
(fig) it is all sewn up → c'est du cousu main
Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

sew

pret <sewed>, ptp <sewn>
vtnähen; to sew something on/down/togetheretw an-/auf-/zusammennähen
vinähen
Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

sew

[səʊ] (sewed (pt) (sewn or sewed (pp))) vt & vicucire
to sew a button on sth → attaccare un bottone a qc
sew up vt + adv (tear) → rammendare; (wound) → ricucire; (hem) → cucire; (seam) → fare
it's all sewn up (fig) (fam) → è tutto a posto
Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995

sew

(səu) past tense sewed ; past participle sewn verb
to make, stitch or attach with thread, using a needle. She sewed the pieces together; Have you sewn my button on yet?
ˈsewer noun
She's a good sewer.
ˈsewing noun
1. the activity of sewing. I was taught sewing at school.
2. work to be sewn. She picked up a pile of sewing.
ˈsewing-machine noun
a machine for sewing.
sew up
to fasten completely or mend by sewing.
sewn up
completely settled or arranged. The contract is all sewn up.

to sew (not sow) a button on.
Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary © 2006-2013 K Dictionaries Ltd.

sew

يُخَيِّطُ šít sy nähen ράβω coser ommella coudre šivati cucire 縫う 꿰매다 naaien sy uszyć costurar шить sy เย็บ dikmek khâu 缝纫
Multilingual Translator © HarperCollins Publishers 2009

sew

vi. coser.
English-Spanish Medical Dictionary © Farlex 2012

sew

vt (pp sewn) (fam, to suture) suturar, coser (fam)
English-Spanish/Spanish-English Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2006 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
References in classic literature ?
Singer and tailor am I-- Doubled the joys that I know-- Proud of my lilt to the sky, Proud of the house that I sew-- Over and under, so weave I my music--so weave I the house that I sew.
I 'm an outsider, and they only accept me on Fan's account; so I sit in a corner and sew, while they chatter and laugh."
You see we used to sit under the pines and sew, and talk a great deal all the ladies, I mean and I liked it very much.
On Saturday it rained and she worked herself up into such a frantic state lest it should keep on raining until and over Wednesday that Marilla made her sew an extra patchwork square by way of steadying her nerves.
"Now, if you will help me sew the silk together, we will begin to work on our balloon."
She is going to teach me to sew. She says I have quite a knack.
The next morning she went out, collected star-flowers, and began to sew. She could speak to no one, and she had no wish to laugh, so she sat there, looking only at her work.
Rapidly and timidly raising his fingers to his forehead by way of greeting, he asked Pierre whether the soldier Platoche to whom he had given a shirt to sew was in that shed.
As for buttons, she soon learned to wonder where they went, to shake her head over the carelessness of men, and to threaten to make him sew them on himself, and see if his work would stand impatient and clumsy fingers any better than hers.
I sew on brown gingham dresses every afternoon when Emma Jane and the Simpsons are playing house or running on the Logs when their mothers do not know it.
She changed her position, leaning forward to bend her head above her work, so that he saw only the foreshortened tip of her nose and the streak of red in her hair; then she slipped to her feet, saying "I can't see to sew," and went back to her chair by the lamp.
"I shall sew it on for you, my little man," she said, though he was tall as herself, and she got out her housewife [sewing bag], and sewed the shadow on to Peter's foot.