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
Synonyms
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
Miami Herald Archives, Miami Herald, 8 Jan. 2025
The properties are family-owned and were meticulously hewn from the surrounding bushland and transformed into exclusive safari experiences .
—Angelina Villa-Clarke, Forbes, 21 Dec. 2024
By hewing so closely to its predecessors, Dune: Prophecy undermines its own central tension, implicitly signaling to us that for a very long time, everything in this universe will be pretty much fine.
—Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 17 Nov. 2024
While Larson’s original machine collected dust, imitators with sleeker modern versions proliferated, all hewing roughly to the same parameters as Larson’s—and millions of people were subject to testing.
—Susan Saulny, Smithsonian Magazine, 22 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for hew 
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Verb
Two stairways that, like the entire house, seem hewn from living rock, sweep upward elegantly to the patio.
—Miami Herald Archives, Miami Herald, 8 Jan. 2025
The properties are family-owned and were meticulously hewn from the surrounding bushland and transformed into exclusive safari experiences .
—Angelina Villa-Clarke, Forbes, 21 Dec. 2024
By hewing so closely to its predecessors, Dune: Prophecy undermines its own central tension, implicitly signaling to us that for a very long time, everything in this universe will be pretty much fine.
—Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 17 Nov. 2024
While Larson’s original machine collected dust, imitators with sleeker modern versions proliferated, all hewing roughly to the same parameters as Larson’s—and millions of people were subject to testing.
—Susan Saulny, Smithsonian Magazine, 22 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for hew
Dictionary Entries Near hew
Cite this Entry
“Hew.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hew. Accessed 23 Jan. 2025.
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