Meaning & use
sewn
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“sewn” is a form of “sew”. See that entry for the full set of meanings.
Meanings
verbtransitive or intransitive
Past participle of sew: joined, fastened, or mended with a needle and thread, by hand or machine.
Grammar: Used after have or be: She has sewn the hem; the button is sewn on.
Patterns
- have sewn something
- be sewn onto something
- be sewn up
The patch was sewn onto the knee of his jeans.
She has sewn all the costumes for the school play.
The wound was sewn up neatly by the doctor.
verbidiominformalfigurative
Past participle of sew in the figurative expression sewn up, meaning completely settled or secured.
Grammar: Used informally with up: The deal is sewn up.
Patterns
- have something sewn up
- be sewn up
The home team had the match sewn up by halftime.
Their victory in the election was already sewn up.
He thought the contract was sewn up, but the other side pulled out.
Word forms
| base form | sew |
|---|---|
| third person singular | sews |
| past tense | sewed |
| -ing form | sewing |
Common combinations
- hand-sewn
- The quilt was hand-sewn by her grandmother.
- neatly sewn
- Each seam was neatly sewn and pressed flat.
- sewn on
- A name tag was sewn on the collar of every coat.
- sewn together
- Two pieces of felt were sewn together to make a puppet.
- sewn up
- The tear in the sleeve has been sewn up.
Synonyms and how they differ
- stitched
- Stitched is very close in meaning but also suits medical wounds and bookbinding, while sewn suits fabric most naturally.
- tacked
- Tacked means fastened with long temporary stitches, so it is less permanent than sewn.
- darned
- Darned is narrower, referring only to mending holes in knitted cloth with crossing stitches.
Opposites
Word family
- sew verb
- to join cloth with needle and thread
- sewing noun
- the activity or craft of making things with needle and thread
- seamstress noun
- a woman whose job is sewing clothes
- sewer noun
- a person who sews
Commonly confused: sewn or sown? sewn or sewer?
sewn vs sown
Sown is the past participle of sow, meaning to plant seeds, and sounds the same as sewn in many accents.
sewn vs sewer
A sewer (pronounced like sue-er) is an underground drain, while a sewer (pronounced like so-er) is someone who sews.
Practice
Choose the correct word: The farmer has already ___ the field with barley.
Choose one answer.
Planting seed uses the verb sow, whose participle is sown. Sewn belongs to sew and is for thread and fabric, which is why it sounds right but is wrong here.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “sewn”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.