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saw - 18 dictionary results
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saw

1  [saw] noun, verb, sawed, sawed or sawn, saw⋅ing.
Use saw in a Sentence
–noun
1. a tool or device for cutting, typically a thin blade of metal with a series of sharp teeth.
2. any similar tool or device, as a rotating disk, in which a sharp continuous edge replaces the teeth.
–verb (used with object)
3. to cut or divide with a saw.
4. to form by cutting with a saw.
5. to make cutting motions as if using a saw: to saw the air with one's hands.
6. to work (something) from side to side like a saw.
–verb (used without object)
7. to use a saw.
8. to cut with or as if with a saw.
9. to cut as a saw does.
—Idiom
10. saw wood, Informal. to snore loudly while sleeping.
Origin:
bef. 1000; (n.) ME sawe, OE saga, *sagu; c. D zaag, ON sǫg; akin to G Säge saw, L secāre to cut (see section ), OE seax knife, sax 2 ; (v.) ME sawen, deriv. of the n.

Related forms:
sawer, noun
sawlike, adjective

saw

2  [saw]
–verb
pt. of see 1 .

saw

3  [saw]
–noun
a sententious saying; maxim; proverb: He could muster an old saw for every occasion.
Origin:
bef. 950; ME; OE sagu; c. G Sage, ON saga saga; akin to say 1

see

1  [see] verb, saw, seen, see⋅ing.
–verb (used with object)
1. to perceive with the eyes; look at.
2. to view; visit or attend as a spectator: to see a play.
3. to perceive by means of computer vision.
4. to scan or view, esp. by electronic means: The satellite can see the entire southern half of the country.
5. to perceive (things) mentally; discern; understand: to see the point of an argument.
6. to construct a mental image of; visualize: He still saw his father as he was 25 years ago.
7. to accept or imagine or suppose as acceptable: I can't see him as president.
8. to be cognizant of; recognize: to see the good in others; to see where the mistake is.
9. to foresee: He could see war ahead.
10. to ascertain, learn, or find out: See who is at the door.
11. to have knowledge or experience of: to see service in the foreign corps.
12. to make sure: See that the work is done.
13. to meet and converse with: Are you seeing her at lunch today?
14. to receive as a visitor: The ambassador finally saw him.
15. to visit: He's gone to see his aunt.
16. to court, keep company with, or date frequently: They've been seeing each other for a long time.
17. to provide aid or assistance to; take care of: He's seeing his brother through college.
18. to attend or escort: to see someone home.
19. Cards. to match (a bet) or match the bet of (a bettor) by staking an equal sum; call: I'll see your five and raise you five more.
20. to prefer (someone or something) to be as indicated (usually used as a mild oath): I'll see you in hell before I sell you this house. He'll see the business fail before he admits he's wrong.
21. to read or read about: I saw it in the newspaper.
–verb (used without object)
22. to have the power of sight.
23. to be capable of perceiving by means of computer vision.
24. to understand intellectually or spiritually; have insight: Philosophy teaches us to see.
25. to give attention or care: See, there it goes.
26. to find out; make inquiry: Go and see for yourself.
27. to consider; think; deliberate: Let me see, how does that song go?
28. to look about; observe: They heard the noise and came out to see.
—Verb phrases
29. see about,
a. to investigate; inquire about.
b. to turn one's attention to; take care of: He said he would see about getting the license plates.
30. see after, to attend to; take care of: Will you please see after my plants while I'm away?
31. see off, to take leave of someone setting out on a journey; accompany to the place of departure: I went to the airport to see them off.
32. see out, to remain with (a task, project, etc.) until its completion: We decided to see it out, even if it meant another year.
33. see through,
a. to penetrate to the true nature of; comprehend; detect: He quickly saw through my story.
b. to stay with to the end or until completion; persevere: to see a difficult situation through.
34. see to, to take care of; be responsible for: I'll see to the theater tickets.
Origin:
bef. 900; ME seen, OE sēon; c. D zien, G sehen, ON sjā, Goth saihwan

Related forms:
see⋅a⋅ble, adjective
see⋅a⋅ble⋅ness, noun

Synonyms:
1. observe, notice, distinguish, discern, behold, regard. See watch. 5. comprehend, penetrate. 10. determine. 11. know, undergo. 18. accompany.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To saw
saw 1   (sô)   
n.  Any of various tools, either hand-operated or power-driven, having a thin metal blade or disk with a sharp, usually toothed edge, used for cutting wood, metal, or other hard materials.
v.   sawed, sawed or sawn (sôn), saw·ing, saws

v.   tr.
  1. To cut or divide with a saw.
  2. To produce or shape with a saw: sawed a hole in the board.
  3. To make back-and-forth motions through or on: a speaker who saws the air with his arms.
v.   intr.
  1. To use a saw: sawing along the chalk line.
  2. To undergo cutting with a saw: Pine wood saws easily.

[Middle English sawe, from Old English sagu; see sek- in Indo-European roots.]
saw'er n.
saw 2   (sô)   
n.  A familiar saying, especially one that has become trite through repetition. See Synonyms at saying.

[Middle English sawe, from Old English sagu, speech; see sekw-3 in Indo-European roots.]
saw 3   (sô)   
v.  Past tense of see1.
see 1   (sē)   
v.   saw (sô), seen (sēn), see·ing, sees

v.   tr.
  1. To perceive with the eye.
    1. To apprehend as if with the eye.
    2. To detect by means analogous to use of the eye: an electronic surveillance camera that saw the activity in the embassy yard.
    3. To visit socially; call on.
    4. To visit for consultation: You ought to see your doctor more frequently.
    5. To meet (a bet) in card games.
    6. To meet the bet of (another player).
  3. To have a mental image of; visualize: They could still see their hometown as it once was.
  4. To understand; comprehend: I see your point.
  5. To consider to be; regard: Many saw her as a world leader.
  6. To believe possible; imagine: I don't see him as a teacher.
  7. To foresee: I see great things for that child.
  8. To know through firsthand experience; undergo: "He saw some service on the king's side" (Tucker Brooke).
  9. To give rise to or be characterized by: "Her long reign saw the heyday of verbal humor" (Richard Kain). "The 1930s saw the development of sulfa drugs and penicillin" (Gregg Easterbrook).
  10. To find out; ascertain: Please see who's knocking.
  11. To refer to; read: Persons interested in the book's history should see page one of the preface.
  12. To take note of; recognize: She sees only the good aspects of the organization.
  13. To meet or be in the company of: I saw all my aunts and uncles at the reunion.
  14. To share the companionship of often or regularly: He's been seeing the same woman for eight years.
    1. To visit socially; call on.
    2. To visit for consultation: You ought to see your doctor more frequently.
    3. To meet (a bet) in card games.
    4. To meet the bet of (another player).
  16. To admit or receive, as for consultation or a social visit: The doctor will see you now.
  17. To attend; view: Let's see a movie.
  18. To escort; attend: I'm seeing Nellie home.
  19. To make sure; take care: See that it gets done right away.
  20. Games
    1. To meet (a bet) in card games.
    2. To meet the bet of (another player).
v.   intr.
  1. To have the power to perceive with or as if with the eye.
  2. To understand; comprehend.
  3. To consider: Let's see, which suitcase should we take?
    1. To go and look: She had to see for herself and went into the garage.
    2. To ascertain; find out: We probably can do it, but we'll have to see.
  5. To have foresight: "No man can see to the end of time" (John F. Kennedy).
  6. To take note.
  7. To attend to.
  8. To investigate.
  9. To escort (a guest) to the door: Will you please see Ms. Smith out?
  10. To work on (a project) until completion: Despite poor funding, we saw the project out.
  11. To understand the true character or nature of: We saw through his superficial charm.
  12. To provide support or cooperation to (a person) throughout a period of time: We'll see you through until you finish college.
  13. To work on (a project) until completion.
Phrasal Verb(s):
see about
  1. To attend to.
  2. To investigate.
see afterTo take care of: Please see after the children while I'm gone.
see offTo take leave of (someone): saw the guests off at the door; went to the airport to see us off.
see out
  1. To escort (a guest) to the door: Will you please see Ms. Smith out?
  2. To work on (a project) until completion: Despite poor funding, we saw the project out.
see through
  1. To understand the true character or nature of: We saw through his superficial charm.
  2. To provide support or cooperation to (a person) throughout a period of time: We'll see you through until you finish college.
  3. To work on (a project) until completion.
see toTo attend to: See to the chores, will you?

Idiom(s):
see red Informal To be extremely angry.

Idiom(s):
see you laterInformal Used to express good-bye.

[Middle English sen, from Old English sēon; see sekw-2 in Indo-European roots.]
Synonyms: These verbs refer to being or becoming visually or mentally aware of something. See, the most general, can mean merely to use the faculty of sight but more often implies recognition, understanding, or appreciation: "If I have seen further (than ... Descartes) it is by standing upon the shoulders of Giants" (Isaac Newton).
Behold implies gazing at or looking intently upon what is seen: "My heart leaps up when I behold/A rainbow in the sky" (William Wordsworth).
Note, notice, and remark suggest close, detailed observation, and note in particular implies making a careful, systematic mental recording: Be careful to note that we turn left at the church. I notice that you're out of sorts. "Their assemblies afforded me daily opportunities of remarking characters and manners" (Samuel Johnson).
Espy and descry both stress acuteness of sight that permits the detection of something distant or obscure: "espied the misspelled Latin word in [the] letter" (Los Angeles Times). "the lighthouse, which can be descried from a distance" (Michael Strauss).
Observe emphasizes careful, closely directed attention: "I saw the pots ... and observed that they did not crack at all" (Daniel Defoe).
Contemplate implies looking attentively and thoughtfully: "It is interesting to contemplate an entangled bank, clothed with many plants" (Charles Darwin).
Survey stresses comprehensive examination: "Strickland looked away and idly surveyed the ceiling" (W. Somerset Maugham).
View usually suggests examination with a particular purpose in mind or in a special way: The medical examiner viewed the victim's body.
Perceive and discern both imply not only visual recognition but also mental comprehension; perceive is especially associated with insight, and discern, with the ability to distinguish, discriminate, and make judgments: "I plainly perceive [that] some objections remain" (Edmund Burke). "Your sense of humor would discern the hollowness beneath all the pomp and ceremony" (Edna Ferber).
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Saw

Saw\ (s[add]), imp. of See.

Saw

Saw\, n. [OE. sawe, AS. sagu; akin to secgan to say. See Say, v. t. and cf. Saga.]

1. Something said; speech; discourse. [Obs.] "To hearken all his sawe." --Chaucer.

2. A saying; a proverb; a maxim.

His champions are the prophets and apostles, His weapons holy saws of sacred writ. --Shak.

3. Dictate; command; decree. [Obs.]

[Love] rules the creatures by his powerful saw. --Spenser.

Saw

Saw\, n. [OE. sawe, AS. sage; akin to D. zaag, G. s["a]ge, OHG. sega, saga, Dan. sav, Sw. s[*a]g, Icel. s["o]g, L. secare to cut, securis ax, secula sickle. Cf. Scythe, Sickle, Section, Sedge.] An instrument for cutting or dividing substances, as wood, iron, etc., consisting of a thin blade, or plate, of steel, with a series of sharp teeth on the edge, which remove successive portions of the material by cutting and tearing.

Note: Saw is frequently used adjectively, or as the first part of a compound.

Band saw, Crosscut saw, etc. See under Band, Crosscut, etc.

Circular saw, a disk of steel with saw teeth upon its periphery, and revolved on an arbor.

Saw bench, a bench or table with a flat top for for sawing, especially with a circular saw which projects above the table.

Saw file, a three-cornered file, such as is used for sharpening saw teeth.

Saw frame, the frame or sash in a sawmill, in which the saw, or gang of saws, is held.

Saw gate, a saw frame.

Saw gin, the form of cotton gin invented by Eli Whitney, in which the cotton fibers are drawn, by the teeth of a set of revolving circular saws, through a wire grating which is too fine for the seeds to pass.

Saw grass (Bot.), any one of certain cyperaceous plants having the edges of the leaves set with minute sharp teeth, especially the Cladium Mariscus of Europe, and the Cladium effusum of the Southern United States. Cf. Razor grass, under Razor.

Saw log, a log of suitable size for sawing into lumber.

Saw mandrel, a mandrel on which a circular saw is fastened for running.

Saw pit, a pit over which timbor is sawed by two men, one standing below the timber and the other above. --Mortimer.

Saw sharpener (Zo["o]l.), the great titmouse; -- so named from its harsh call note. [Prov. Eng.]

Saw whetter (Zo["o]l.), the marsh titmouse (Parus palustris); -- so named from its call note. [Prov. Eng.]

Scroll saw, a ribbon of steel with saw teeth upon one edge, stretched in a frame and adapted for sawing curved outlines; also, a machine in which such a saw is worked by foot or power.

Saw

Saw\, v. t. [imp. Sawed; p. p. Sawed or Sawn; p. pr. & vb. n. Sawing.]

1. To cut with a saw; to separate with a saw; as, to saw timber or marble.

2. To form by cutting with a saw; as, to saw boards or planks, that is, to saw logs or timber into boards or planks; to saw shingles; to saw out a panel.

3. Also used figuratively; as, to saw the air.

Saw

Saw\, v. i. 1. To use a saw; to practice sawing; as, a man saws well.

2. To cut, as a saw; as, the saw or mill saws fast.

3. To be cut with a saw; as, the timber saws smoothly.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
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Language Translation for : saw
Spanish: sierra,
German: die Säge,
Japanese: のこぎり
More Translations »

saw  (1)
"cutting tool," O.E. sagu, from P.Gmc. *sago "a cutting tool" (cf. O.E. seax "knife," O.N. sõg, Norw. sag, Dan. sav, M.Du. saghe, Du. zaag, O.H.G. saga, Ger. Säge "saw"), from PIE base *sak-/*sek- "to cut" (cf. L. secare "to cut," Rus. sech' "to cut;" see section). The verb is attested from c.1225; strong conjugation began 15c. on model of draw, etc. Sawbones "surgeon" is 1837 slang; sawdust is 1530; sawhorse recorded from 1778; sawfish first attested 1664. The personal name Sawyer is attested from c.1248 (cf. lawyer). Sawed-off "short, cut short" is attested 1887 of persons, 1898 of shotguns.

saw  (2)
"proverb," O.E. sagu "saying, discourse, speech," from P.Gmc. *saga-, *sagon- (cf. M.L.G., M.Du. sage, zage, Ger. sage "legend, fable, saga, myth, tradition," O.N. saga "story, tale, saga") from the root of O.E. secgan "say" (see say).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Main Entry: 1saw
past of SEE

Main Entry: 2saw
Pronunciation: 'so
Function: noun
: a hand or power tool used to cut hard material (as bone) and equipped usually with a toothedblade or disk
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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saw

see old saw.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
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