Have you ever got stuck on the correct past tense of the irregular verb sew in English grammar? This article will explain the conjugations of the word sew and also define sew and give you all the information you need about the word to master the English language.

What Is the Definition of Sew?

The word sew is defined as:

Transitive verb

to join or attach by stitches.
to make, repair, etc., (a garment) by such means.
to enclose or secure with stitches:
- to sew flour in a bag.
to close (a hole, wound, etc.) by means of stitches (usually followed by up).
to ground (a vessel) at low tide (sometimes followed by by up).

Intransitive Verb

to work with a needle and thread or with a sewing machine.
(of a vessel) to be grounded at low tide.

Noun

the amount of additional water necessary to float a grounded vessel.

Synonyms of the Word

Fasten – to attach firmly or securely in place; fix securely to something else
Tailor – a person whose occupation is the making, mending, or altering of clothes, especially suits, coats, and other outer garments.
Stitch – one complete movement of a threaded needle through pieces of fabric or pieces of cloth such as to leave behind it a single loop or portion of thread, as in sewing, embroidery, or the surgical closing of wounds
Embroider – to produce or form in needlework
Bind – to encircle with a band or ligature, to fasten or secure

What Is the Past Tense of Sew?

The past tense of the word sew is sewed.

An example of present and past tense:

Present – I can watch my mother sew for hours.

Past – I sewed together the hole in my bag to fix it.

How Do You Conjugate Sew?

Here are some verb conjugations of the English verb sew including the past tense:

Infinitive/base form: to sew

Present participle/gerund: sewing

Past participle: sewn/sewed

Past perfect: he/she/it had sewn/sewed

Future perfect: he/she/it will have sewn/sewed

Present Tense	Simple Past Tense	Future Tense
I sew	sewed	Am sewing
You sew	sewed	Are sewing
He/she/it sews	sewed	Is sewing
We sew	sewed	Are sewing
They sew	sewed	Are sewing

The History and Origin of the Word

The word sew can be seen recorded in history all the way back to at least the year 900 A.D. It comes from Middle English sewen and Old English before it siw(i)an.

Examples of the Word in Context

You could sew lead piping into that and it wouldn’t show up.
- KATE. SWEETIE. GET SOME HEM WEIGHTS.|TOM SYKES|OCTOBER 22, 2014|DAILY BEAST
I sew, glue, glitter, cut, and tie numerous things onto my products to make the final creation.
- ETSY CHANGED ITS POLICY. SO WHAT?|SARA STROMAN|NOVEMBER 8, 2013|DAILY BEAST
The enemy is also improving its ability to infiltrate and sew dissent among the Afghan security forces’ ranks.
- THE US ARMY AND AFGHANISTAN’S BAD DIVORCE|BENJAMIN TUPPER|SEPTEMBER 20, 2012|DAILY BEAST
It also takes years of training to be able to sew, embroider, bead, and otherwise embellish these clothes.
- CHANEL, ARMANI, AND GIVENCHY PRESENT THEIR HAUTE-COUTURE COLLECTIONS IN PARIS|ROBIN GIVHAN|JULY 4, 2012|DAILY BEAST
Except for the thread he used to sew the remnants together, everything was recycled.
- THE DAZZLING MRS. COLIN FIRTH|BARBIE LATZA NADEAU|MARCH 5, 2011|DAILY BEAST
Sew one-half inch below this with stab stitch, trim material off close under this stitching.
- MAKE YOUR OWN HATS|GENE ALLEN MARTIN
In times of peace there are committees who sew for and otherwise look after every kind of human misery.
- THE NEW YORK TIMES CURRENT HISTORY: THE EUROPEAN WAR, FEBRUARY, 1915|VARIOUS
Provision was also made that the little girls from ten years old should attend and be taught to sew.
- A STORY OF THE RED CROSS|CLARA BARTON
They sew with the sinews of deer; and much of their needlework is very neat.
- TRAVELS IN NORTH AMERICA, FROM MODERN WRITERS|WILLIAM BINGLEY
Sew the skirt to a band, and round the neck and sleeves with a vandyke edging as 2nd receipt.
- KNITTING, CROCHET, AND NETTING, WITH TWELVE ILLUSTRATIONS|LONORE RIEGO DE LA BRANCHARDIRE
The tailors who sew elaborate holiday boubous and vendors who sell barbecue grills by roadsides are hurting, too.
— BostonGlobe.com, “UK has Europe’s worst surge in deaths during pandemic, study says,” 31 July 2020
The tailors who sew elaborate holiday boubous and vendors who sell barbecue grills by roadsides are hurting, too.
— Babacar Dione And Krista Larson, Star Tribune, “Livestock prices stress Muslims in Africa ahead of Eid,” 30 July 2020
Mr Francis founded Gymshark from his parents’ garage in 2012, making gym gear his grandmother taught him to sew.
— The Economist, “Clothes, image and Instagram How social media made Gymshark,” 22 Aug. 2020
Newspapers would publish guides on how to sew your own mask, and highlight fashionable styles made out of chiffon to entice women to wear them, Navarro said.
— Francesca Giuliani-hoffman, CNN, “Face masks: in 2020, ‘mask slacking’ is more partisan than in 1918, historians say,” 16 Aug. 2020

Summary

Next time you need to write the word sew, you will be well prepared for everything you need to know what it is and how to use it efficiently in American English. You should feel confident with the different conjugations, the history of the word, and the definition.

Sources:

Kevin Miller is a growth marketer with an extensive background in Search Engine Optimization, paid acquisition and email marketing. He is also an online editor and writer based out of Los Angeles, CA. He studied at Georgetown University, worked at Google and became infatuated with English Grammar and for years has been diving into the language, demystifying the do's and don'ts for all who share the same passion! He can be found online here.

The Past Tense of Sew: Here’s What It Is and How to Use It

Your writing, at its best

What Is the Definition of Sew?

Synonyms of the Word

What Is the Past Tense of Sew?

How Do You Conjugate Sew?

The History and Origin of the Word

Examples of the Word in Context

Summary

Sources:

Recent Posts

The Past Tense of Feel: Here’s What It Is and How to Use It

The Past Tense of Shine: Here’s What It Is and How to Use It

The Past Tense of Hear: Here’s What It Is and How to Use It

The Past Tense of Cost: Here’s What It Is and How to Use It