To hew means to chop or shape something with a tool like an axe or adze. When pioneers hewed logs to build a cabin, they used axes to cut trees and shape them into flat-sided beams that could stack together into walls. A sculptor might hew a rough shape from a block of marble before refining the details.

When you hew something, you're not making tiny adjustments; you're striking with power to remove large pieces and create a basic form.

The phrase hew to means to stick closely to something, like a path or principle. If someone hews to the truth, they tell it straight without bending or changing it. A writer might hew to the facts of a story, or a group might hew to its original plan despite pressure to change it.