hewed; hewed or hewn
ˈhyün 
; hewing
; hewing
1
: to cut with blows of a heavy cutting instrument
roughly hewn logs
2
: to cut down by blows of an ax
hew a tree
3
: to give form or shape to with or as if with heavy cutting blows
hewed their farms from the wilderness—
J. T. Shotwell
J. T. Shotwell1
: to make cutting blows (as with an ax)
hewer
noun
Department of Health, Education, and Welfare
Examples of hew in a Sentence
Verb
They hewed logs to build a cabin.
The walls are built of stones hewn by skilled craftsmen.
Recent Examples on the Web
Brian Tallerico, Vulture, 19 Feb. 2025
State of play: Ocasio-Cortez is seen as the favorite and has locked down the support of most of her fellow Oversight Committee members — who hew younger and more progressive, sources have told Axios.
—Andrew Solender, Axios, 13 Dec. 2024
Though the movie hews very close to what happened that day, the timeline is compressed.
—Marco Della Cava, USA TODAY, 5 Sep. 2024
The play hewed closely to the original script, with a few splashes of local color.
—Chelsea Edgar, The New Yorker, 31 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for hew
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Verb
This version hews a little closer to the source and also has the coldest, most clinical take so far, courtesy of Robert Elswit’s gorgeous black-and-white cinematography and Steven Zaillian’s ace direction.
—Brian Tallerico, Vulture, 19 Feb. 2025
State of play: Ocasio-Cortez is seen as the favorite and has locked down the support of most of her fellow Oversight Committee members — who hew younger and more progressive, sources have told Axios.
—Andrew Solender, Axios, 13 Dec. 2024
Though the movie hews very close to what happened that day, the timeline is compressed.
—Marco Della Cava, USA TODAY, 5 Sep. 2024
The play hewed closely to the original script, with a few splashes of local color.
—Chelsea Edgar, The New Yorker, 31 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for hew
Cite this Entry
“Hew.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hew. Accessed 2 Mar. 2025.
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