What does "stitch" mean?
A single pass of a needle in sewing; the loop or turn of the thread thus made.
Stitch
/stɪt͡ʃ/ noun, verb, slang
noun, verb, slang ·Very common ·Middle school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A single pass of a needle in sewing; the loop or turn of the thread thus made.
- Grammar: stitch is listed as noun, verb, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: access, ache, ache, acute pain.
- Useful contrasts: unbroken tearing, comfort, ease.
- Usage evidence: "A stitch in time saves nine" is a proverb.
How to use "stitch"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "stitch" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "stitch" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "stitch" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "stitch" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "stitch" is acting as noun, verb, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "access" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "stitch", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A single pass of a needle in sewing; the loop or turn of the thread thus made. countable
- 2 a link or loop or knot made by an implement in knitting, crocheting, embroidery, or sewing wordnet
- 3 A single pass of a needle in sewing; the loop or turn of the thread thus made.; A single pass of a surgical suture (to sew the edges of a wound together) countable
"I cut myself badly while cooking and needed to go to hospital to get stitches."
- 4 a sharp spasm of pain in the side resulting from running wordnet
- 5 An arrangement of stitches in sewing, or method of stitching in some particular way or style.
"cross stitch"
Show 11 more definitions
- 6 An intense stabbing pain under the lower edge of the ribcage, brought on by exercise or laughing. countable, uncountable
"I've got a stitch. I'm going to have to stop and rest."
- 7 A local sharp pain (anywhere); an acute pain, like the piercing of a needle.
"a stitch in the side"
- 8 A single turn of the thread round a needle in knitting; a link, or loop, of yarn
"drop a stitch"
- 9 An arrangement of stitches in knitting, or method of knitting in some particular way or style.
- 10 A space of work taken up, or gone over, in a single pass of the needle.
- 11 A fastening, as of thread or wire, through the back of a book to connect the pages.
- 12 Any space passed over; distance. broadly
"[Y]ou have gone a good ſtitch, you may well be a weary; ſit down."
- 13 Any least part of a fabric or clothing. colloquial
"to wet every stitch of clothes"
- 14 An incorporation of an existing video into a new one, resulting in a collaborative clip that shows the two videos in a sequence.
"More than 19,000 people commented, along with more stitches than she could count, Sallee said."
- 15 A ridge of ploughed land between two furrows. dated
"Now plow down your Weat-stitches, by running the Two-wheel Fallow-Plough three or four times through each Stitch, which will almost level the Ground;"
- 16 A contortion, or twist. obsolete
"If you talke / Or pull your face into a ſtich againe, / As I love truth I ſhall be very angry."
Verb
- 1 To form stitches in; especially, to sew in such a manner as to show on the surface a continuous line of stitches.
"to stitch a shirt bosom."
- 2 fasten by sewing; do needlework wordnet
- 3 To sew, or unite or attach by stitches.
"to stitch printed sheets in making a book or a pamphlet."
- 4 To practice/practise stitching or needlework. intransitive
- 5 To form land into ridges.
Show 4 more definitions
- 6 To weld together through a series of connecting or overlapping spot welds.
"You can prevent warping and get a very strong weld by stitching your pieces together."
- 7 To include, combine, or unite into a single whole.
"Whereas liturgically, in the sacramental narrative of the Cross, worshippers are stitched into a salvation story, cinema spectators are stitched into a narrative in which the ordinary guy overcomes the Other in an extraordinary situation."
- 8 To include, combine, or unite into a single whole.; To combine two or more photographs of the same scene into a single image.
"I can use this software to stitch together a panorama."
- 9 To include, combine, or unite into a single whole.; To incorporate (an existing video) into a new one, resulting in a collaborative clip that shows the two videos in a sequence.
"One site, PearPop.com, hooks TikTok or Instagram influencers up with fans to create duetted or stitched videos that fans pay for. This can be an effective way to build followers fast.⁹ Model Leah Svoboda added 120,000 followers after a PearPop duet with megainfluencer Anna Shumate.¹⁰"
Synonyms
All synonymsExample
""A stitch in time saves nine" is a proverb."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "stitch"?
Common synonyms include: access, ache, ache, acute pain, ankle, articulate.
How do you use "stitch" in a sentence?
"A stitch in time saves nine" is a proverb.
How do you pronounce "stitch"?
Pronounced /stɪt͡ʃ/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
From Middle English stiche, from Old English stiċe (“a prick, puncture, stab, thrust with a pointed implement, pricking sensation, stitch, pain in the side, sting”), from Proto-West Germanic *stiki, from Proto-Germanic *stikiz (“prick, piercing, stitch”), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)teyg- (“to stab, pierce”). Cognate with Dutch steek (“prick, stitch”), German Stich (“a prick, piercing, stitch”), Old English stician (“to stick, stab, pierce, prick”). More at stick. Via PIE cognate with Czech steh, Polish ścieg, Russian стежо́к (stežók).
Etymology 2
From Middle English sticchen, stichen, from Old English *stiċċan, stiċċian, from Proto-Germanic *stikjaną (“to stab, stick, prick”), influenced by the noun (see above).