saw
1 Americannoun
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a tool or device for cutting, typically a thin blade of metal with a series of sharp teeth.
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any similar tool or device, as a rotating disk, in which a sharp continuous edge replaces the teeth.
verb (used with object)
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to cut or divide with a saw.
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to form by cutting with a saw.
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to make cutting motions as if using a saw.
to saw the air with one's hands.
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to work (something) from side to side like a saw.
verb (used without object)
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to use a saw.
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to cut with or as if with a saw.
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to cut as a saw does.
idioms
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saw wood, to snore loudly while sleeping.
verb
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simple past tense of see.
noun
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any of various hand tools for cutting wood, metal, etc, having a blade with teeth along one edge
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any of various machines or devices for cutting by use of a toothed blade, such as a power-driven circular toothed wheel or toothed band of metal
verb
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to cut with a saw
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to form by sawing
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to cut as if wielding a saw
to saw the air
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to move (an object) from side to side as if moving a saw
abbreviation
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surface acoustic wave
verb
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the past tense of see 1
noun
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a wise saying, maxim, or proverb
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see old saw.
Other Word Forms
- sawer noun
- sawlike adjective
Etymology
Origin of saw1
First recorded before 1000; Middle English noun sau(e), soue, zaue, Old English saga, sagu; cognate with Dutch zaag, Old Norse sǫg, German Säge, all meaning “saw”; akin to Latin secāre “to cut,” Old English seax “short sword, knife, dagger”; the verb is derivative of the noun; sax 2, section
Origin of saw3
First recorded before 950; Middle English sau(e), sauhe, sagh(e) “talk, words, something said,” Old English sagu “a saying, speech, narrative”; cognate with German Sage “legend, fable, myth, tradition,” Old Norse saga “statement, tale, story, history”; saga, say 1
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
March also saw Royal Mail bosses answer questions from MPs about the ongoing postal delays.
From BBC • Apr. 7, 2026
"I was working at a cotton factory... when we came out from work we saw the police, they were lining up," he recalled.
From BBC • Apr. 6, 2026
These automation-vulnerable workers also suffer real earning losses of 3% after landing a new job, while their peers saw a negligible impact.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 6, 2026
She had moved everything out of their family home in preparation for renting the property, the outlet said; they saw renting as a way to provide a steady stream of income in Joseph’s absence.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 6, 2026
I ask after I tell Dr. Crowchild everything that’s happened since I last saw her.
From "Red Flags and Butterflies" by Sheryl Azzam
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.