saw

saw

I

saw¹ /sɔː $ sɒː/
the past tense of see

II

saw² noun [countable]
1. a tool that you use for cutting wood. It has a flat blade with an edge cut into many V shapes.
2. a short familiar phrase or sentence that is considered to contain some truth about life
   SYN  proverb, saying:
    That reminds me of the old saw about being careful about what you wish for.

III

saw³ verb (past tense sawed, past participle sawn /sɔːn $ sɒːn/ or sawed American English) [intransitive and transitive]
to cut something using a saw:
    She was in the backyard sawing logs.
    saw through
    He sawed through a power cable by mistake.
     
saw at something phrasal verb
  to cut something with a repeated backwards and forwards movement:
    He sawed at the loaf with a blunt knife.
saw something ↔ off phrasal verb
  to remove something by cutting it off with a saw:
    We sawed off the dead branches.
saw something ↔ up phrasal verb
  to cut something into many pieces, using a saw:
    The tree was cut down and sawn up for logs.
     

THESAURUS

   ▪ cut to divide something into two or more pieces, especially using a knife or scissors: Do you want me to cut the cake? | He cut off the lower branches.
   ▪ snip to quickly cut something, especially using scissors: I snipped the label off. | The hairdresser snipped away at her hair.
   ▪ slit to make a long narrow cut through something, especially using a knife: He slit the envelope open with a penknife. | She slit through the plastic covering.
   ▪ slash to cut something quickly and violently with a knife, making a long thin cut: Someone had slashed the tyres on his car. | He tried to slash his wrists.
   ▪ saw to cut wood, using a saw (=a tool with a row of sharp points): Saw the wood to the correct length.
   ▪ chop to cut wood, vegetables, or meat into pieces: Bill was outside chopping up firewood with an axe. | They chopped down the old tree. | finely chopped onion
   ▪ slice to cut bread, meat, or vegetables into thin pieces: I’ll slice the cucumber. | Slice the bread thinly.
   ▪ dice to cut vegetables or meat into small square pieces: First dice the apple into cubes.
   ▪ grate to cut cheese or a hard vegetable by rubbing it against a special tool: Grate the cheese and sprinkle it over the vegetables.
   ▪ peel to cut the outside part off something such as a potato or apple: I peeled the potatoes and put them in a saucepan.
   ▪ carve to cut thin pieces from a large piece of meat: Uncle Ray carved the turkey.
   ▪ mow to cut the grass in a garden, park etc: A gardener was mowing the lawn.
   ▪ trim (also clip) to cut a small amount off something, especially to make it look neater: He was trimming his beard. | Trim the excess fat off the meat.