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to sew button

to sew button

2.1
To attach a button to clothing using a needle and thread
  • phrasal verb
  • /soʊ ˈbʌtən/
translation icon : coser un botón
  • Can you show me how to sew button on a shirt?

Examples

  • After losing a button at work, he had to sew button back onto his jacket.

  • She learned to sew button as part of her home economics class.

  • After losing a button on his shirt, he needed to sew button back on using needle and thread.

  • Can you teach me how to sew button onto a coat properly?

  • In her sewing class, she practiced how to sew button securely onto different fabrics.

Synonyms

to stitch
vsto sew button
99 2.5

To join or repair cloth with a needle and thread

focus on fixing a fastener to clothing rather than general joining
to stitch up
vsto sew button
6 3.9

To sew a hole or loose edge to make clothing whole again

concentrates on fixing a fastener not on mending seams or hems
to rebutton
vsto sew button
4.6

To sew a button back onto clothes after it comes off

attach a fastener to clothing originally using needle and thread
to backstitch
vsto sew button
  • Specialized
7.3

To sew by putting the needle back into the cloth behind the last hole to make a strong continuous line

is about attaching a fastener rather than about a sewing technique

How Secure

to reinforce
99 3.9
to sew button
2.1
to baste
  • Specialized
1 7.5

Surface Forms

sew button infinitive
sewing button present participle
sews button third person singular
sewn button past participle

Morphology

sew + button

The meaning 'to attach a button to clothing using needle and thread' is directly and transparently derived from combining 'sew' (to join or attach with a needle) and 'button' (a fastener). This is a literal verb-object action following standard English composition (often realised as 'sew on a button'), so a B1 learner who knows both words can readily infer the meaning.

Etymology

The verb sew button comes from the simple action of using a needle and thread to attach a button to cloth. That's why sew here means the action and the phrase means 'to attach a button to a piece of clothing'.