saw

1 of 4

Synonyms of saw next

past tense of see

saw

2 of 4

noun (1)

ˈsȯ

: a hand or power tool or a machine used to cut hard material (such as wood, metal, or bone) and equipped usually with a toothed blade or disk

sawlike

ˈsȯ-ˌlīk

adjective

saw

3 of 4

verb

sawed ˈsȯd

; sawed or sawn ˈsȯn

; sawing ˈsȯ(-)iŋ

transitive verb

: to cut with a saw

: to produce or form by cutting with a saw

: to slash as though with a saw

intransitive verb

: to use a saw

: to cut with or as if with a saw

: to undergo cutting with a saw

: to make motions as though using a saw

sawed at the reins

sawer

ˈsȯ(-ə)r

noun

saw

4 of 4

Examples of saw in a Sentence

Verb He sawed the boards in half. This blade is too dull for sawing. Noun it's an old saw that a red sunset presages fair skies the next day

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.

Noun

As confused as Andy sawing a rope with the wrong end of the saw. —

Dalton Ross, EW.com, 24 Oct. 2024 Additionally, some of the branches had been precut with a power saw, suggesting they were prepared before the killings, according to the memorandum. —

Virginia Black, The Indianapolis Star, 17 Oct. 2024

Verb

But most are satisfied with the sounds of scraping, sawing, sanding, drilling and hammering. —

Robert Lloyd, Los Angeles Times, 5 Nov. 2024 As previously mentioned, there’s a scene in which a Weeknd gets sawed in half. —

Bethy Squires, Vulture, 24 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for saw

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

Middle English sagh, sawe, going back to Old English sagu (strong feminine noun), going back to Germanic *sagō (whence also Middle Dutch sage "saw," Old High German saga, Old Icelandic sǫg) beside *segō (whence Middle Dutch sege "saw," Old High German sega), noun derivatives from a dialectal Indo-European verbal base *sek- "cut," whence also Middle Irish tescaid "(s/he) cuts, severs" (regularized from a presumed verb doˑesc, perhaps from *to-eks-sk-), Latin secō, secāre "to cut, sever, make an incision," Old Church Slavic sěkǫ, sěšti "to cut down, fell, hew," Bosnian-Croatian-Serbian sijèčēm, sjȅći "to cut, chop, hew"

Note: The base *sek- is peculiar to northwest (or European) Indo-European, being attested in Celtic, Italic, Germanic, and Slavic; *sek- is perhaps ultimately the same base as *skeh₂-, *skh₂- "cut open, flay"; see etymology and note at science.

Verb

Middle English sawen, derivative of sawe saw entry 2

Noun

Middle English sawe, from Old English sagu discourse; akin to Old High German & Old Norse saga tale, Old English secgan to say — more at say entry 1

First Known Use

Noun (1)

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined above

Verb

13th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Noun

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler

The first known use of saw was before the 12th century

See more words from the same century

Phrases Containing saw

Cite this Entry

Style

“Saw.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/saw. Accessed 22 Nov. 2024.

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Kids Definition

saw

1 of 4

past of see

saw

2 of 4 noun

ˈsȯ

: a hand or power tool or a machine used to cut hard material and equipped usually with a tooth-edged blade

saw

3 of 4 verb

sawed ˈsȯd

; sawed or sawn ˈsȯn

; sawing ˈsȯ(-)iŋ

: to cut or shape with a saw

saw

4 of 4 noun

: a common saying : proverb

Medical Definition

saw

1 of 2

past of see

saw

2 of 2 noun

ˈsȯ

: a hand or power tool used to cut hard material (as bone) and equipped usually with a toothed blade or disk

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saw

noun (1)

verb

noun

Synonyms

Examples of saw in a Sentence

Word History

Dictionary Entries Near saw

Cite this Entry

Kids Definition

Medical Definition