# stitch

/ˈstɪtʃ/ (US) · /stˈɪtʃ/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/stitch
Updated: 2026-06-20

## Senses

### 1. sewing or knitting

noun · CEFR B1

a single loop of thread or yarn made by a needle.

For teachers: a single pass of a needle or a single loop of yarn in sewing, knitting, or crochet.

- She dropped a stitch while knitting the sweater, so she had to start the row again.
- The tailor used a tiny, nearly invisible stitch to ensure the hem of the evening gown remained perfectly smooth.

### 2. medical repair

noun · CEFR B1

a piece of thread used by a doctor to join the edges of a cut.

For teachers: a medical suture used to close a wound or surgical incision.

- The cut on his forehead was deep, so the doctor had to put in five stitches.
- After the surgery, the patient was instructed to keep the area dry until the stitches could be safely removed by a nurse.

### 3. pain from exercise

noun · CEFR B2

a sharp pain in the side of your body, usually from running or laughing too much.

For teachers: an acute, localized pain in the side of the abdomen, typically induced by strenuous physical exertion.

- I had to stop running because I got a painful stitch in my side.
- He ignored the growing stitch in his side and pushed through the final mile of the marathon to set a personal record.

### 4. clothing

noun · CEFR C1 · Informal

a very small amount of clothing.

For teachers: the smallest possible piece of fabric or clothing; almost exclusively used in the negative 'not a stitch'.

- It was so hot in the house that the baby wasn't wearing a stitch of clothing.
- The hikers were caught in a sudden downpour and returned to the cabin without a stitch of dry clothing between them.

### 5. to sew

verb · CEFR B1

to join two pieces of cloth together using a needle and thread.

For teachers: to join, mend, or decorate fabric by making a series of loops with a needle and thread.

- My grandmother taught me how to stitch a button onto a shirt.
- The artisan carefully stitched the leather panels together to create a durable and stylish handbag.

### 6. to combine digital media

verb · CEFR B2

to join two or more videos or images together into one.

For teachers: to combine multiple digital files, such as photographs or video clips, into a single seamless sequence or panorama.

- She used an app to stitch her holiday photos into a wide panorama.
- The software allows users to stitch together short clips from different creators to produce a collaborative video response video.

## Examples

- The doctor put three stitches in my finger to help it heal.
- After running for only ten minutes, he had to stop because of a painful stitch in his side.
- The surgeon used a continuous stitch to ensure the wound closed evenly, minimizing the risk of infection and reducing the visibility of the eventual scar.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.