Past Tense of Sew | Definition & Examples
The simple past tense of sew is sewed. The past participle of “sew” is sewn or, less commonly, sewed.
The verb “sew” means “make, repair or attach using a needle and thread.”
| Simple past tense of sew | Past participle of sew |
|---|---|
| I sewed this quilt myself. | I haven’t sewn/sewed anything for years. |
| Thanks! You sewed on the missing buttons for me. | Have you sewn/sewed on those buttons for me yet? |
| I unstitched it and sewed it again using a different thread. | I think it was sewn/sewed by hand. |
Sewn meaning
Sewn is a past participle of the verb “sew.” It is also correct to use “sewed” as the past participle of “sew,” but it is less common in modern English.
If you refer to a goal as “sewn up,” it means that you are certain of achieving that goal.
Was it hand- or machine-sewn?
She says that the deal’s all sewn up and we should be able to sign the contract tomorrow.
Sown or sewn
Sown is a past participle of the verb “sow,” meaning “plant” (e.g., “We’ve sown all of the wheat seed”), while sewn is a past participle of the verb “sew,” meaning “attach or join with needle and thread” (e.g., “It was sewn on with black thread”).
You pronounce the words “sown” and “sewn” in the same way (i.e., they are homophones).
| Sown in a sentence | Sewn in a sentence |
|---|---|
| We’ve sown corn in this field. | I’ve sewn pockets with white thread. |
| The seeds can be sown straight into the ground. | These patches can be sewn or ironed on. |
| However, the first seeds of doubt had perhaps already been sown a long time before this encounter. | It was too late to cancel the dress order because they’d already cut and sewn it. |
Frequently asked questions about the past tense of sew
- Is it sewed or sown?
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The correct past participle of the verb “sew” is “sewn,” or less commonly sewed (e.g., “Have you already sewn/sewed the seams?” or “Was it hand-sewn/sewed?”).
Sown or, less commonly, “sowed” is the past participle of the verb “sow,” which means “to plant” (e.g., “What seeds have you sown/sowed in that field?”).Sewed is also the past tense of sew (i.e., its simple past tense form).
QuillBot’s free Grammar Checker will help you pick up errors with tricky verb forms like “sewed” and “sown” in your writing.
- What is a synonym for sew?
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Synonyms for the verb sew include:
- Stitch
- Embroider
- Tack
- Hem
- Darn
The past tense of sew can be tricky because it’s an irregular verb. QuillBot’s free Grammar Checker will help you use irregular verbs like “sew” correctly in your writing.
- Is it sewed or sewn?
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Sewn is the most commonly used past participle of the verb “sew,” but sewed is also correct (e.g., “It’s all been hand-sewn/sewed” or “Have you sewn/sewed on the sequins yet?”).
Sewed is also the past tense of sew (i.e., it is the simple past tense form of “sew”).
Have you tried QuillBot’s free Grammar Checker? You can use it to help avoid mistakes with tricky verb forms like “sewed” and “sewn.”
