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rough-hew

or rough·hew

[ ruhf-hyoo ]

/ ˈrʌfˈhyu /

SEE SYNONYMS FOR rough-hew ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used with object), rough-hewed, rough-hewed or rough-hewn, rough-hew·ing.

to hew (timber, stone, etc.) roughly or without smoothing or finishing.

to shape roughly; give crude form to.

Origin of rough-hew

First recorded in 1520–30

Words nearby rough-hew

rough up, rough-and-ready, rough-and-tumble, rough-cut, rough-dry, rough-hew, rough-legged buzzard, rough-legged hawk, rough-sawn, rough-spoken, rough-voiced

Example sentences from the Web for rough-hew

Then you don't believe there is a Destiny that shapes our ends, rough-hew them how we will?

The Hidden Places |Bertrand W. Sinclair
In other words, a man decrees his own destiny and shapes his own ends by his actions, whether Providence rough-hew them or not.

Tea-Cup Reading, and the Art of Fortune-Telling by Tea Leaves |'A Highland Seer'
There is a hand that shapes our ends, rough-hew them as we will.

Hubert's Wife |Minnie Mary Lee
“There is a destiny that shapes our ends, rough-hew them though we may,” he thought to himself.

Riddle of the Storm |Roy J. Snell

There's a divinity that shapes our ends, Rough-hew them how we will.

Familiar Quotations |Various

British Dictionary definitions for rough-hew

rough-hew

verb -hews, -hewing, -hewed, -hewed or -hewn (tr)

to cut or hew (timber, stone, etc) roughly without finishing the surface

Also: roughcast to shape roughly or crudely