saw
Noun pluralsaws
Pluralsaws
- 1Past tense of see. Use it for the past.
She saw a deer cross the road this morning.
We saw the fireworks from the rooftop last night.
UsageAfter have, say seen: I have seen it.
- 2A tool with a sharp toothed edge, or sometimes a rough grinding edge, used for cutting wood, metal, or stone.
Like a long knife with many tiny teeth along its edge.
A sharp saw made quick work of the fallen branch.
He hung the saw on a hook in the workshop.
- 3To cut or shape something with a saw. Also used to say how easily a material cuts this way.
Please saw this board in half for me.
Dad sawed the dead branch off the tree.
UsageCommon patterns are saw through and saw something off. After have, both sawed and sawn are correct.
Similarcut
Note
Less common meanings
- 4Past participle of see. Some people say this in casual speech, but it is not standard English.
I've saw that movie three times already.
They had saw the storm coming for days.
UsageUse seen instead: I've seen it.
Note
- 5To move back and forth in a cutting motion, like using a saw.
Like rubbing your hand forward and back over and over.
He had to saw at his tough steak with a dull knife.
He sawed at the rope until his arm ached.
UsageOften saw at or saw away at something.
Similarscrape
Note
- 6A bendy metal blade played like an instrument by drawing a bow across it.
Like turning an ordinary blade into a singing voice.
The street performer bowed his saw, filling the square with a ghostly wail.
She bent the saw and coaxed a trembling, eerie note from it.
- 7A short, well-known old saying that people often repeat.
There is an old saw that says practice makes perfect.
And then the justice, / In fair round belly with good capon lined, / With eyes severe and beard of formal cut, / Full of wise saws and modern instances.
c. 1598, William Shakespeare, “As You Like It”Here, saws means short, well-known old sayings.UsageUsually an old saw: a tired old saying.
Similarsaying, proverb, adage, maxim, dictum
Note
- 8Words that someone says out loud.
Note
- 9An opinion, idea, or belief that a person holds.
Note
- 10A suggestion or idea about what could be done.
Note
- 11An order or command from someone in charge.
[Love] rules the creatures by his powerful saw.
1595, “Colin Clouts Come Home Againe”, in Colin Clouts Come Home AgaineHere, saw means an order or command from someone in charge.Note
- 12A wave shaped like the teeth of a saw, climbing slowly then dropping fast.
- 13In whist, a plan where partners take turns leading suits the other has none of, so each lead gets trumped.
Showing meanings only.
saw is a form of see
see, verb: To notice something with your eyes. Full entry
- Spelling
- see → saw: irregular (no -ed)
Practice
Can you tell the meanings of saw apart? Answer 3 quick questions from this page, or write your own sentence and AI will check it.
Origins
The name of the cutting tool comes from Old English 'saga', from an old root meaning 'to cut'. The verb comes from the noun.
Checked 1 Nov 2026 · 3 facts
- The cutting-tool noun descends from Old English saga. en.wiktionary.org
- Its ultimate root means 'to cut'. en.wikisource.org
- The cutting verb derives from the noun. en.wiktionary.org
This 'saw', meaning a saying, comes from Old English 'sagu' ('story, saying'), from an old root meaning 'to say'. It is a doublet of 'saga'.
Checked 1 Nov 2026 · 3 facts
- Saw, meaning a saying, derives from Old English sagu, meaning story or saying. en.wiktionary.org
- The word ultimately derives from a root meaning to say. en.wiktionary.org
- Saw is a doublet of saga. en.wiktionary.org