Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • transitive verb To sew with overcast stitches, as in finishing a fabric edge or binding two pieces of fabric together.
  • noun A stitch made in this manner.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • To sew over and over: especially used in bookbinding. Compare whip, transitive verb, 4.
  • In agriculture, to half-plow or rafter.
  • noun In agriculture, a sort of half-plowing, otherwise called raftering.
  • noun A hasty composition.
  • noun Aparticle; the smallest piece.
  • noun A tailor: used in contempt.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • transitive verb (Agric.), engraving To rafter; to plow in ridges, as land.
  • transitive verb To sew by passing the thread over and over; to overcast; whip.
  • noun A tailor; -- so called in contempt.
  • noun rare Anything hastily put or stitched together; hence, a hasty composition.
  • noun (Agric.) The act or process of whipstitching.
  • noun Dial. or Colloq. A small bit; esp., a small interval of time; an instant; a minute.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun A stitch that passes diagonally over an edge
  • verb To sew using such a stitch

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun a sewing stitch passing over an edge diagonally

Etymologies

Sorry, no etymologies found.

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Examples

  • The raised "bead" formed by the buttonhole stitch gets worn and raggedy very quickly, and the whipstitch is the stitch to use for a strong eyelet.

    A good workwoman praises her tools - A Dress A Day 2007

  • "We're moving way beyond the open-toe sandal," said Jack Rogers' new creative director Lauren duPont, who added that she owns upward of 50 pairs of the iconic shoe, known for its whipstitch punches and signature rondelle.

    Jack Rogers Steps It Up 2011

  • I just had a spending spree at whipstitch which I found when I visited Willy-Nilly!

    KJ's on a roll... Katy 2009

  • Just pin the ribbon in place and whipstitch it down - save this for a night when you have a good movie to watch.

    The Plan - And She Knits Too! 2008

  • It is very important to whipstitch them, and not use a buttonhole stitch!

    A good workwoman praises her tools - A Dress A Day 2007

  • The only trouble I had was that I used running stitch instead of whipstitch to baste the opening closed with cotton yarn, and had quite a time removing the stitches after felting.

    Wet Bunnies Sonja 2005

  • Finish each sachet by turning selvage under on 1-inch opening and whipstitch closed.

    The Art and Craft of Entertaining Kimberly Kennedy 2005

  • Finish each sachet by turning selvage under on 1-inch opening and whipstitch closed.

    The Art and Craft of Entertaining Kimberly Kennedy 2005

  • The only trouble I had was that I used running stitch instead of whipstitch to baste the opening closed with cotton yarn, and had quite a time removing the stitches after felting.

    Archive 2005-03-06 newfie 2005

  • I was making fresh bread crumbs for the tops of the casseroles by my own whipstitch method, grabbing hunks of crustless bread and rolling them between my palms.

    Incubus Arensberg, Ann, 1937- 1999

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