sew

A2 Topic:Actions & Processes

US /ˈsoʊ̯/ UK /ˈsəʊ̯/ See IPA manual

Minimal pairs

Sounds like show /s/ vs /ʃ/ Sounds like saw /ɑ/ vs /oʊ/

Freq #8170

Meanings

1

verb
To join or repair pieces of cloth using a needle and thread.

She sewed a button back onto his shirt.
2

verb
To make clothes from cloth using a needle and thread.

Can the tailor sew me a suit by next week?

Verb forms

Verb forms are not available for this word yet.

Multiword verbs with sew

sew together Phrasal verb A2

to join pieces of material using stitches

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 verb · to join or repair pieces of... stitch

2 verb · to make clothes from cloth... tailor

Word family

Forms sewedsewingsewnsews

Derived forms besewhomesewnmissewno-sewoutsewoversewpresewre-sewresewsew-upssewabilitysewable

Appears in

Phrases (1)

See all

sew together
to join pieces of material using stitches

Verb + adverb

Etymology

From Middle English sewen, seowen, sowen, from Old English siwian, seowian, seowan (“to sew, mend, patch, knit together, link, unite”), from Proto-Germanic *siwjaną (“to sew”), from Proto-Indo-European *syewH- (“to sew”). Cognate with Scots sew, North Frisian saie, sei, Saterland Frisian säie, Danish sy, Swedish sy, and, more distantly, Polish szyć, Russian шить (šitʹ), Latin suō, Sanskrit सीव्यति (sī́vyati). Related to seam.

*syewH- Proto-Indo-European sewen Middle English siwian Old English *siwjaną Proto-Germanic

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Actions & Processes

External links

# sew

**Type:** Word
**Level:** A2
**Part of speech:** verb
**IPA (US):** /ˈsoʊ̯/
**IPA (UK):** /ˈsəʊ̯/
**Frequency rank:** 8170

## Meanings
1. To join or repair pieces of cloth using a needle and thread.
2. To make clothes from cloth using a needle and thread.

## Examples
- She sewed a button back onto his shirt.
- Can the tailor sew me a suit by next week?

## Synonyms
- stitch

## Derived Forms
- besew
- homesewn
- missew
- no-sew
- outsew
- oversew
- presew
- re-sew
- resew
- sew-ups
- sewability
- sewable

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: *syewH-
- Root: sewen
- Root: siwian
- Root: *siwjaną

## Etymology
From Middle English sewen, seowen, sowen, from Old English siwian, seowian, seowan (“to sew, mend, patch, knit together, link, unite”), from Proto-Germanic *siwjaną (“to sew”), from Proto-Indo-European *syewH- (“to sew”). Cognate with Scots sew, North Frisian saie, sei, Saterland Frisian säie, Danish sy, Swedish sy, and, more distantly, Polish szyć, Russian шить (šitʹ), Latin suō, Sanskrit सीव्यति (sī́vyati). Related to seam.

## AI Etymology
Sew is from Middle English sewen, seowen, sowen, from Old English siwian, seowian, seowan (“to sew, mend, patch, knit together, link, unite”), from Proto-Germanic *siwjaną (“to sew”), from Proto-Indo-European *syewH- (“to sew”). Cognate with Scots sew, North Frisian saie, sei, Saterland Frisian säie, Danish sy, Swedish sy, and, more distantly, Polish szyć, Russian шить (šitʹ), Latin suō, Sanskrit सीव्यति (sī́vyati). Related to seam. Important forms in the word's history include Proto-Indo-European *syewH-, Middle English sewen, Old English siwian, Proto-Germanic *siwjaną. In current use it includes senses such as To join or repair pieces of cloth using a needle and thread and To make clothes from cloth using a needle and thread.

## Topics
- Actions & Processes

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sew