/ səʊ; NAmE soʊ/ verb ( sewed , sewn / səʊn; NAmE soʊn/ or sewed )
1.
to use a needle and thread to make stitches in cloth :
[ v ]
My mother taught me how to sew.
to sew by hand / machine
[ vn ]
to sew a seam
2.
[ vn ] sew sth (on) to make, repair or attach sth using a needle and thread :
She sews all her own clothes.
Can you sew a button on for me?
Surgeons were able to sew the finger back on.
•
PHRASAL VERBS
- sew sth up
••
WORD ORIGIN
Old English siwan , of Germanic origin, from an Indo-European root shared by Latin suere and Greek suein .