hew C1 Topic:Describing Qualities US /hjuː/ UK /hjuː/ See IPA manual Homophones whew /hjuː/ Meanings 1 verb to cut or shape something with a tool such as an axe They hewed logs to build the cabin. 2 verb to conform or adhere to a particular standard or principle The company must hew to the new regulations. Thesaurus Synonyms 1 verb · to cut or shape something... chopcarveslicecleavehack 2 verb · to conform or adhere to a... stick tocling tofollowabide byhold to ↔ Opposites deviatediverge Word family Forms hewerhewers Common collocations hew out Verb + adverb Etymology AI details From Proto-Germanic hagjaną ('to cut, chop'), via Old English heawan and Middle English hewen, giving Modern English hew ('to cut with a tool'). Topics Describing Qualities External links Cambridge Dictionary Wiktionary Google Images # hew **Type:** Word **Level:** C1 **Part of speech:** verb **IPA (US):** /hjuː/ **IPA (UK):** /hjuː/ ## Meanings 1. to cut or shape something with a tool such as an axe 2. to conform or adhere to a particular standard or principle ## Examples - They hewed logs to build the cabin. - The company must hew to the new regulations. ## Synonyms - chop - carve - slice - cleave - hack - stick to - cling to - follow - abide by - hold to ## Antonyms - deviate - diverge ## Etymology From Proto-Germanic hagjaną ('to cut, chop'), via Old English heawan and Middle English hewen, giving Modern English hew ('to cut with a tool'). ## AI Etymology Hew comes from Proto-Germanic hagjaną ('to cut, chop'), via Old English heawan and Middle English hewen, giving Modern English hew ('to cut with a tool'). In current use it is a verb meaning "to cut or shape something with a tool such as an axe". That sense is explained by the older material without requiring a speculative semantic step: the inherited or borrowed base supplies the field of meaning, while the English formation fixes its modern role. The history is mainly one of transmission into English, with the older form and sense carried through borrowing or adaptation. For dictionary purposes, the important point is the continuity between the older form, the route into English, and the present lexical sense. ## Topics - Describing Qualities markdown