sewing machine

American

noun

any of various foot-operated or electric machines for sewing or making stitches, ranging from machines with a shuttle for a spool of thread and a needle for sewing garments to industrial machines for sewing leather, book pages together, etc.

sewing machine British

noun

any machine designed to sew material. It is now usually driven by electric motor but is sometimes operated by a foot treadle or by hand

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of sewing machine

An Americanism dating back to 1840–50

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Alavi was given a range of equipment including a sewing machine, fabric and cash for a solar panel -- essential in a country where power cuts are commonplace.

From Barron's

Fabric strips are lined up ready for my sewing machine.

From The Wall Street Journal

Amanda says she feels like "a new woman" now that she can cut material and use her sewing machine again.

From BBC

And how long before this hyperbaric, ultrasonic sewing machine spins a bobbin?

From The Wall Street Journal

Olka was bent over one of the sewing machines, so focused on her work that I had to touch her shoulder to get her attention.

From Literature

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023