saw

/sɔ/

/sɔ/

Other forms: saws; sawed; sawing; sawn

A saw is a tool that's used to cut wood. It can be a hand tool or a power tool, and it usually has either a blade or a disk with a jagged cutting edge.

The verb saw means to cut through wood or another material using a saw or other tool. If you are going to build a bookcase, you have to saw the wood into the proper lengths. It's a good idea to measure it twice so you only have to saw it once. When you're faced with a tough piece of meat, you might have to saw at it just to cut off a bite.

Definitions of saw

1. noun

   hand tool having a toothed blade for cutting
   types:

   bill, billhook

   a long-handled saw with a curved blade

   bucksaw

   a saw that is set in a frame in the shape of an H; used with both hands to cut wood that is held in a sawbuck

   crown saw

   a saw having teeth around the edge of a hollow cylinder

   folding saw

   a saw with a toothed blade that folds into a handle (the way a pocketknife folds)

   hack saw, hacksaw, metal saw

   saw used with one hand for cutting metal

   carpenter's saw, hand saw, handsaw

   a saw used with one hand for cutting wood

   lumberman's saw, two-handed saw, two-man saw, whipsaw

   a saw with handles at both ends; intended for use by two people

   back saw, backsaw

   a handsaw that is stiffened by metal reinforcement along the upper edge

   compass saw

   a handsaw with a narrow triangular blade for cutting curves

   coping saw

   a handsaw with a taut thin blade; used for cutting small curves in wood

   crosscut handsaw, crosscut saw, cutoff saw

   handsaw that cuts at right angles to the grain (or major axis)

   keyhole saw

   a handsaw with a long narrow blade for cutting short radius curves; similar to a compass saw

   pitsaw

   a large two-handed saw formerly used to cut logs into planks; one man stood above the log and the other in a pit below

   pruning saw

   a handsaw used for pruning trees

   ripsaw, splitsaw

   a handsaw for cutting with the grain of the wood

   type of:

   hand tool

   a tool used with workers' hands
2. noun

   a power tool for cutting wood
   synonyms: power saw, sawing machine

   types:

   band saw, bandsaw

   an endless saw consisting of a toothed metal band that is driven around two wheels

   chain saw, chainsaw

   portable power saw; teeth linked to form an endless chain

   buzz saw, circular saw

   a power saw that has a steel disk with cutting teeth on the periphery; rotates on a spindle

   gangsaw

   a power saw that has several parallel blades making simultaneous cuts

   fretsaw, jigsaw, scroll saw

   fine-toothed power saw with a narrow blade; used to cut curved outlines

   jigsaw, reciprocating saw, saber saw

   a portable power saw with a reciprocating blade; can be used with a variety of blades depending on the application and kind of cut; generally have a plate that rides on the surface that is being cut

   sawmill

   a large sawing machine

   portable circular saw, portable saw

   a circular saw that is portable and is operated with a hand grip

   table saw

   a circular saw mounted under a table or bench so that the blade of the saw projects up through a slot

   type of:

   power tool

   a tool driven by a motor
3. verb

   cut with a saw
   “saw wood for the fireplace”

   types:

   whipsaw

   saw with a whipsaw

   type of:

   cut

   separate with or as if with an instrument
4. noun

   a condensed but memorable saying embodying some important fact of experience that is taken as true by many people
   synonyms: adage, byword, proverb

   type of:

   expression, locution, saying

   a word or phrase that particular people use in particular situations