English Meaning & Definitions
A hand tool or power tool with a hard blade edged with teeth, used for cutting wood or other hard materials.
- “He used a handsaw to cut the planks to the correct length.”
- “Make sure to wear safety goggles when operating the circular saw.”
To cut something using a saw, or to make a back-and-forth cutting motion.
- “She sawed the tree branch off so it wouldn't scrape against the roof.”
- “He sawed through the thick rope with a pocket knife.”
The past tense of the verb 'see'.
- “I saw a shooting star streak across the night sky yesterday.”
- “Have you seen my keys? I thought I saw them on the kitchen counter.”
A old saying, proverb, or maxim expressing a traditional truth.
- “My grandfather was fond of the old saw, 'A stitch in time saves nine.'”
- “She quoted an old nautical saw about red skies at night.”
Comprehensive Thesaurus Breakdown
Compare formal, informal, literary synonyms and register nuances for “saw”.
The noun and verb come from Old English 'sagu' (noun) and 'secgan' / 'sagan' (verb), ultimately deriving from Proto-Germanic '*sagō' (a cutting tool), related to the root meaning to cut. The homonym (past tense of 'see') comes from Old English 'seon' (to see), which changed via strong verb ablaut to 'seah'. The noun meaning 'proverb' comes from Old English 'sawol' or 'sage', related to saying.
Remember the tool: You *saw* a log in half with a *saw*.
Frequently Asked Questions About “saw”
1. What is the meaning of “saw” in English?
In English, saw (noun) is defined as: “A hand tool or power tool with a hard blade edged with teeth, used for cutting wood or other hard materials.”.
2. How do you use “saw” in a sentence?
“He used a handsaw to cut the planks to the correct length.”
4. What is the etymology and word origin of “saw”?
The noun and verb come from Old English 'sagu' (noun) and 'secgan' / 'sagan' (verb), ultimately deriving from Proto-Germanic '*sagō' (a cutting tool), related to the root meaning to cut. The homonym (past tense of 'see') comes from Old English 'seon' (to see), which changed via strong verb ablaut to 'seah'. The noun meaning 'proverb' comes from Old English 'sawol' or 'sage', related to saying.
🇬🇧More English Words to English
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A specific duration of time equal to one hour and forty-six minutes and twelve seconds.
The cardinal number equal to one thousand million (1,000,000,000), expressed in scientific notation as 10^9.
A specific duration of time equivalent to one hour and forty-six minutes.