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to stitch up

to stitch up

6 3.9
To sew a hole or loose edge to make clothing whole again
  • phrasal verb
  • /stɪtʃ ʌp/
translation icon : coser
  • She promised to have the torn seam stitched up by the end of the day.
  • stitch up the wound
  • stitch up a cut
  • stitch up the hole

Examples

  • The vet then stitched up Pumpkin's wounds, inserting drains to keep fluids from building up.

    Blog text (11)
  • You should get that stitched up.

  • We'll have this all stitched up.

  • I have to stitch up the wound to stop the bleeding.

  • I'm gonna need a doctor to get this stitched up.

  • So, I stitched up her broken elastic just fine enough to hold until she can get it repaired properly.

    Blog text (28)
  • Dr. Armonson stitched up her wrist wounds.

    Fiction book (1994)
  • "Sir," Emilio ventured, "I'm sorry about this, but Jake has to be stitched up."

    Fiction book (1996)
  • One of the techs quickly stitched up Roy's scalp, then moved on to the next patient, leaving Roy alone with Julian.

    Fiction book (1996)
  • After cutting his finger while cooking, he went to the doctor to have it stitched up.

Synonyms

to sew
vsto stitch up
242 1.0

Join, fix and make clothes and other things made of cloth using a needle and thread or a machine

is specifically about mending or finishing a hem or join rather than all sewing
to stitch
vsto stitch up
99 2.5

To join or repair cloth with a needle and thread

focuses specifically on finishing or mending hems and joins
to patch up
vsto stitch up
20 3.4

Mend a hole or tear by putting a piece of material over it

uses needlework to mend or finish a hem or join rather than patching with extra material
to sew together
vsto stitch up
7 2.3

To join two pieces of cloth with a needle and thread

is more about fixing or finishing hems and joins than general joining
to seam
vsto stitch up
3 3.6

To join pieces of cloth by sewing their edges together

is narrower, focusing on finishing or repairing hems or joins specifically
to restitch
vsto stitch up
1 4.1

To sew a seam again to fix it when it comes apart

is the original act of mending or finishing a hem or join
to oversew
vsto stitch up
  • Specialized
1 8.8

To sew two cloth edges together with small stitches over them to stop fraying

is more general repair or finishing of hems and joins
to hem
vsto stitch up
1 4.1

To fold the edge of cloth and sew it to stop it coming apart

is about repairing or finishing edges or joins by needlework
to overlock
vsto stitch up
  • UK
1 6.3

To sew fabric edges with a special stitch to stop them coming apart

describes general mending or finishing of hems and joins by hand or machine
to whipstitch the hem
vsto stitch up
  • Specialized
8.7

To sew the folded edge of cloth by hand with small stitches over it

is a broader act of mending or finishing hems and joins
to overcast
vsto stitch up
  • Specialized
7.2

To sew over a fabric edge with long stitches to stop it from coming apart

focuses on fixing or finishing a hem or join rather than only edges
to hemstitch
vsto stitch up
  • Specialized
9.9

To sew the edge of fabric with a decorative open border

is about practical mending or finishing rather than ornamental edge work
to backstitch
vsto stitch up
  • Specialized
7.3

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

is the overall repair or finishing action rather than a single strong technique
to topstitch
vsto stitch up
6.5

To sew a visible line of stitches on the outside of clothing to add decoration or strength

is aimed at finishing or repairing hems and joins rather than decorative top lines

How Secure

to reinforce
99 3.9
to stitch up
6 3.9
to baste
  • Specialized
1 7.5
to pin
52 1.0

Surface Forms

stitch up infinitive
stitched up past participle
stitching up present participle
stitches up third person singular

Morphology

stitch + up

The meaning 'to mend/repair by sewing' is directly and compositionally derived from 'stitch' (to sew) plus the particle 'up', which commonly marks completion, closure, or finishing in English phrasal verbs. This motion/closure sense of 'up' is cross-linguistically common and follows regular verb+particle patterns, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents would likely infer the MWE meaning.

Etymology

Stitch up comes from sewing. To stitch is to make small stitches and up shows closing the edges, so the phrase means 'to mend' or 'repair' a tear.