What does saw mean?
“Saw” is an unusually versatile English word with several established meanings. In its most frequent use, it is the past tense of “see”: “She saw the storm approaching.” It can therefore mean not only physically perceived but also witnessed, understood, or realized. As a noun, a saw is a cutting tool with a toothed blade, and the corresponding verb means to cut something with such a tool. A third, chiefly North American use appears in the phrase “old saw,” meaning a proverb or familiar maxim. These senses make “saw” useful in both ordinary conversation and formal writing. The word also has an etymological connection with the family of “seek,” “sake,” and “sagacious,” although the cutting-tool sense developed from an Old English word for an instrument used to make cuts. In a sentence, “saw” can consequently refer either to the act of perceiving or to the act of cutting, with context making the intended meaning clear.
A tool with a toothed blade used for cutting wood, metal, or similar materials. In North American usage, especially in the phrase “old saw,” it can also mean a proverb or maxim.
"The carpenter adjusted the blade of his hand saw before making the final cut."
The proverb sense is chiefly North American and is now most familiar in the expression “old saw.”
As the past tense of see, it means perceived, observed, witnessed, or understood. As an independent verb, it means to cut something with a saw.
"They sawed the fallen tree into pieces and carried the wood home."
The past tense of “see” is irregular. For the cutting sense, “sawed” is especially common in American English, while “sawn” is also traditional and literary.
The plural is used for the cutting-tool noun and, less commonly, for the proverb or maxim sense.
"The workshop was filled with old saws and other hand tools."
“Saw” is a linguistic multitasker: it can describe what you did with your eyes and name the tool that turns a log into boards.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does saw come from?
The noun meaning a cutting tool comes from Old English sagu, which continued into Middle English and modern English through the Germanic word for a saw. Its roots are conventionally connected with the Indo-European root *sag-, associated with seeking or tracking, reflected in English words such as “seek” and “sake.” Separately, the very common verb use is the past tense of “see,” inherited from Old English seah, an irregular form of the Old English verb to see.
Related word forms
How saw is actually used
“Saw” is the irregular past tense of “see,” as in “she saw the answer.” In the separate sense of cutting with a saw, “sawed” is common in modern American English, while “sawn” is traditional and literary. The “old saw” expression is chiefly North American and somewhat old-fashioned.
Easily confused with saw
“Saw” can be the past tense of “see” or a cutting tool, whereas “sew” means to stitch or join with thread.