sew
(redirected from sewn up)Also found in: Thesaurus, Encyclopedia.
sew
fasten by stitches made with needle and thread; make clothes with cloth: She will sew a party dress for me.
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.
Phrasal Verb: To work with a needle and thread or with a sewing machine.
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.
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
– sewThe 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 |
Collins English Verb Tables © HarperCollins Publishers 2011
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
Switch to new thesaurus
| Verb | 1. | 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 finedraw - sew together very finely fell - sew a seam by folding the edges hemstitch - sew with hemstitches; "hemstitch a sleeve" 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
sew something up
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
يُخيطيُخَيِّطُ
šítpřišít
sy
kudri
ommella
šivati
varrmegvarr
sauma
縫う
꿰매다
suo
išspręstassiūtisiuvimo mašinasudarytasužsiūti
piešūtsašūtšūt
šiť
šitišivati
sy
เย็บ
khâu
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
Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005
sew
pret <sewed>, ptp <sewn>vi → nähen
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 & vi → cucireto 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
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 nounShe's a good sewer.
ˈsewing noun1. 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.