SEW (sewn)

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

Irregular inflected form: sewn   

 Dictionary entry overview: What does sew mean? 

• SEW (verb)
  The verb SEW has 2 senses:

1. fasten by sewing; do needlework

2. create (clothes) with cloth

  Familiarity information: SEW used as a verb is rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• SEW (verb)

Present simple: I / you / we / they sew    ... he / she / it sews   
Past simple: sewed   
Past participle: sewn   
-ing form: sewing   

Sense 1

Meaning:

Fasten by sewing; do needlework

Classified under:

Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging

Synonyms:

run up; sew; sew together; stitch

Hypernyms (to "sew" is one way to...):

fasten; fix; secure (cause to be firmly attached)

"Sew" entails doing...:

conjoin; join (make contact or come together)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "sew"):

hem (fold over and sew together to provide with a hem)

resew (sew again)

overcast (sew with an overcast stitch from one section to the next)

overcast (sew over the edge of with long slanting wide stitches)

backstitch (do backstitches)

gather; pucker; tuck (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)

hemstitch (sew with hemstitches)

retick; tick (sew)

cast on (make the first row of stitches when knitting)

cast off (make the last row of stitches when knitting)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s
Somebody ----s something

Derivation:

sewer (someone who sews)

sewing (joining or attaching by stitches)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Create (clothes) with cloth

Classified under:

Verbs of sewing, baking, painting, performing

Synonyms:

sew; tailor; tailor-make

Context example:

Can the seamstress sew me a suit by next week?

Hypernyms (to "sew" is one way to...):

fashion; forge (make out of components (often in an improvising manner))

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "sew"):

run up (make by sewing together quickly)

quilt (create by stitching together)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s
Somebody ----s something

Sentence example:

They sew the cape

Derivation:

sewer (someone who sews)

sewing (needlework on which you are working with needle and thread)

 Context examples 

"May we, Mother?" asked Meg, turning to Mrs. March, who sat sewing in what they called 'Marmee's corner'.

(Little Women, by Louisa May Alcott)

This, under his direction, I cleansed and sewed together, having first shaved the edges of the wound.

(The Sea-Wolf, by Jack London)

"Now, if you will help me sew the silk together, we will begin to work on our balloon."

(The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, by L. Frank Baum)

Yes, sir: there is a woman who sews here, called Grace Poole,—she laughs in that way.

(Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Brontë)

As he had a compassionate heart he pulled out his needle and thread, and sewed her together.

(Fairy Tales, by The Brothers Grimm)

Here I must bide, and talk and sew and spin, and spin and sew and talk.

(The White Company, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

A thin piece of metal (usually gold) with radioactive seeds placed on one side is sewn onto the outside wall of the eye with the seeds aimed at the tumor.

(Plaque radiotherapy, NCI Dictionary)

Her jacket was black, with black beads sewn upon it, and a fringe of little black jet ornaments.

(The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

This huge sack had been sewn up at one end and only a small orifice left at the other.

(The Lost World, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

When sewn into a shirt, these yarns served as a self-powered breathing monitor.

(Energy-Harvesting Yarns Generate Electricity, The Titi Tudorancea Bulletin)