hew

1 of 2

verb

hewed; hewed or hewn ˈhyün How to pronounce hew (audio) ; hewing

transitive verb

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 wildernessJ. T. Shotwell

intransitive verb

1
: to make cutting blows (as with an ax)
2
: conform, adhere
hew to tradition
often used in the phrase hew to the line
no pressure … on newspapers to hew to the official lineN.Y. Times Mag.
hewer noun

HEW

2 of 2

abbreviation

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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Verb
Both cards hew relatively closely to the specs of the 4070 Ti Super and 4070 Super, both of which are already solid 1440p and 4K graphics cards for many titles. Ars Technica, 7 Jan. 2025 During the primary election, Ansari hewed closer to the political center than her opponent, former state Sen. Raquel Terán of Phoenix. Laura Gersony, The Arizona Republic, 3 Jan. 2025 Wilks, who is four years older, practices a form of Christianity that hews closely to the Old Testament at the Assembly of Yahweh, a church his family founded outside of Cisco, a town in Central Texas. Ava Kofman, ProPublica, 2 Oct. 2024 The music hews fairly closely to the Avett Brothers’ original arrangements, with lyrical and instrumental adjustments made to accommodate the vocal-forward nature of a stage production. Bill Kopp, SPIN, 25 Nov. 2024 See all Example Sentences for hew 

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Middle English, from Old English hēawan; akin to Old High German houwan to hew, Lithuanian kauti to forge, Latin cudere to beat

First Known Use

Verb

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of hew was before the 12th century

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Dictionary Entries Near hew

Cite this Entry

“Hew.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hew. Accessed 15 Jan. 2025.

Kids Definition

hew

verb
hewed; hewed or hewn ˈhyün How to pronounce hew (audio) ; hewing
1
: to chop down
hew trees
2
: to make or shape by cutting with an ax
a cabin built of rough-hewn logs
3
: to stick close to : adhere
hew to the established rules
hewer noun

Medical Definition

HEW

abbreviation
Department of Health, Education, and Welfare

More from Merriam-Webster on hew

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