sewed; sewn ˈsōn How to pronounce sew (audio) 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 noun
sewable adjective

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 For our production of ‘Bye Bye Birdie,’ Andi and his twin brother sewed many of the skirts from scratch. Heide Janssen, Orange County Register, 17 Mar. 2024 Keckley’s mother and other women around her taught her to sew, says Dorothy Berry, a digital curator at the National Museum of African American History and Culture, in the exhibition. Alicia Ault, Smithsonian Magazine, 12 Mar. 2024 Satin Lining The piece is returned to the trimming room, where a satin lining is sewn inside the crown and a ribbon and bow are secured to the outside. Abby Montanez, Robb Report, 3 Mar. 2024 Here's a bralette that's sewn with an outer layer of dainty lace that's super pretty to look at—and a breeze to put on with its anti-slide zipper closure. Malia Griggs, Glamour, 28 Feb. 2024 Create a placemat by folding the towel in half and sewing around the edges. Betsy Cribb Watson, Southern Living, 26 Feb. 2024 The medium-wash denim pants were sewn into the red pointed-toe high heels. Jordan Greene, Peoplemag, 4 Mar. 2024 Yet after four years of training their Indian team and getting the product just right, the brothers made the Chennai workshop the production facility for the company’s Classic Bespoke garments, whose component parts are cut by hand in Mayfair and sent east to be sewn. Aleks Cvetkovic, Robb Report, 2 Mar. 2024 Or could the seed for this phenomenon have been sewn way back in 1972, when the British Museum announced its Treasures of Tutankhamun exhibition, which saw lines snaking around the block – the first for a London museum at the time? Angelina Villa-Clarke, Forbes, 16 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'sew.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of sew was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near sew

Cite this Entry

“Sew.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sew. Accessed 29 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

sew

verb
sewed; sewn ˈsōn How to pronounce sew (audio) or sewed; sewing
1
: to join or fasten by stitches
sew on a button
2
: to work with needle and thread

More from Merriam-Webster on sew

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