Meaning & use
stitch
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Meanings
nouncountable
One loop or pass of thread made with a needle in sewing, knitting or closing a cut.
Grammar: Countable; plural stitches. Doctors use stitches for a wound.
Patterns
- a stitch in something
- get stitches
She dropped a stitch and had to unpick the last row.
He needed six stitches above his eye.
Each tiny stitch was almost invisible.
nouncountable
A sudden sharp pain in the side of the body, often felt when running.
Grammar: Usually singular: I got a stitch.
Patterns
- get a stitch
- have a stitch
I got a stitch halfway through the race and had to slow down.
A stitch in his side forced him to stop.
Breathing deeply sometimes helps ease a stitch.
verbtransitive or intransitive
To join, repair or decorate cloth by making loops with a needle and thread, or to close a wound that way.
Grammar: Takes an object when joining things: stitch the hem; can be used with no object when sewing in general.
Patterns
- stitch something to something
- stitch something up
- stitch something together
She stitched a button back onto the coat.
The doctor stitched the cut in less than ten minutes.
He stitched a pattern of flowers around the edge.
phrasephrasal verbBritishinformal
To arrange things unfairly against someone, for example by blaming them for something they did not do.
Grammar: Used as stitch someone up; British informal.
Patterns
- stitch someone up
He claims the police stitched him up with false evidence.
I felt stitched up when they gave me the hardest job.
Don't let them stitch you up in the contract.
Word forms
| plural | stitches |
|---|---|
| third person singular | stitches |
| past tense | stitched |
| past participle | stitched |
| -ing form | stitching |
Common combinations
- in stitches
- The comedian had the whole audience in stitches.
- a stitch in time
- A stitch in time saves nine, so fix the leak now.
- drop a stitch
- She dropped a stitch and lost her place in the knitting.
- stitch up a wound
- The nurse stitched up a wound on his hand.
- cross stitch
- My aunt makes pictures in cross stitch.
- get a stitch
- I always get a stitch when I run after lunch.
Synonyms and how they differ
- sew
- Sew is the general verb for joining fabric with thread, while stitch can also mean one loop of thread or to close a wound.
- suture
- Suture is the medical word for a stitch used to close a wound or incision.
- tack
- Tack means to sew loosely with long stitches for a temporary hold, whereas stitch suggests a firm, finished join.
- cramp
- Cramp is a muscle spasm anywhere in the body, whereas a stitch is a pain in the side from exercise.
Opposites
Word family
- stitching noun
- the stitches in a piece of sewing, or the act of sewing
- stitcher noun
- a person who stitches
- stitch-up noun
- British informal word for an unfair arrangement or false blame
- cross-stitch noun
- embroidery made with crossed stitches
Commonly confused: stitch or suture?
stitch vs suture
A suture is the thread, or the join, used in surgery. Stitch is the everyday word and also covers sewing, knitting and side pain.
Practice
The comedian was so funny that the whole audience was in ___.
Choose one answer.
To be in stitches is an idiom meaning laughing uncontrollably. Needles, threads and seams are connected to sewing but are not part of this idiom.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “stitch”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.