Meaning & use
line of stitches
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Meanings
phrasecountable
a row of small thread loops made by a needle, either in sewing or to close a wound.
Grammar: Countable phrase; use 'a line of stitches' for one row and 'lines of stitches' for more than one.
Patterns
- a line of stitches in something
- a line of stitches along something
- have a line of stitches
The tailor sewed a neat line of stitches along the hem of the skirt.
After the operation, she had a line of stitches above her left eyebrow.
He ran his finger over the line of stitches on the old leather bag.
phrasecountable
a series of stitches that forms a visible pattern or mark on a surface.
Grammar: Often used with 'of' to describe where the stitches are: a line of stitches across the fabric.
Patterns
- a line of stitches across something
- a line of stitches marking something
A line of stitches across the cushion showed where it had been repaired.
The nurse cleaned the line of stitches carefully before covering it.
Word forms
| plural | lines of stitches |
|---|
Common combinations
- a neat line of stitches
- She admired the neat line of stitches on the quilt.
- a line of stitches along the seam
- The machine made a line of stitches along the seam.
- have a line of stitches
- He had a line of stitches after the accident.
- remove a line of stitches
- The doctor will remove the line of stitches next week.
- a line of stitches in the fabric
- You can see a line of stitches in the fabric where it was mended.
Synonyms and how they differ
- row of stitches
- Very similar, but 'row' often suggests a horizontal arrangement, while 'line' can be in any direction.
- seam
- A seam is the join where two pieces of material are sewn together; a line of stitches may be decorative and not a join.
- suture
- A medical term for the thread or the stitch used to close a wound; 'line of stitches' is the everyday phrase.
Word family
Commonly confused: line of stitches or stich?
line of stitches vs stich
A common misspelling of 'stitch'; the correct spelling has a 't' before the 'ch'.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'line of stitches' correctly?
Choose one answer.
'A line of stitches' is the correct countable phrase, and 'on the wound' is the natural preposition. Option 1 uses the singular 'stitch', option 2 uses the plural 'lines' with 'a', and option 3 uses 'in' instead of the usual 'on' for the surface of a wound.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “line of stitches”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.