sew

 
Pronunciation: /səʊ/

verb (past participle sewn /səʊn/ or sewed)

[with object]
  • 1join, fasten, or repair (something) by making stitches with a needle and thread or a sewing machine: she sewed the seams and hemmed the border [no object]: I don’t even sew very well
  • [with object and adverbial] attach (something) to something else by sewing: she could sew the veil on properly in the morning
  • make (a garment) by sewing: the two sisters sewed their own dresses

Phrasal Verbs

sew something up

informal bring something to a favourable conclusion: they had the match sewn up by half-time
achieve exclusive control over something: the courier market has been more or less sewn up by two companies

Origin:

Old English siwan, of Germanic origin, from an Indo-European root shared by Latin suere and Greek suein