knead

verb

kneaded; kneading; kneads

transitive verb

1
a
: to work and press into a mass with or as if with the hands
kneading dough
b
: to manipulate or massage with a kneading motion
kneaded sore neck muscles
2
: to form or shape by or as if by kneading
kneadable adjective
kneader noun

Examples of knead in a Sentence

Knead the dough until it is smooth.
Recent Examples on the Web Incorporate by kneading the dough on speed 2 until the butter is folded in and the dough is again smooth and elastic, 5 to 6 minutes. Yewande Komolafe, San Diego Union-Tribune, 28 Feb. 2024 Knead a few times by folding and pressing dough, turning dough to knead uniformly; shape dough into a ball. Bhg Test Kitchen, Better Homes & Gardens, 4 Feb. 2024 This ergonomic massager pillow rotates to deeply knead your muscles and even has a heating function (perfect for winter!). Lauren Levy, Parents, 6 Dec. 2023 There’s no kneading the gooey mass, just an occasional folding to incorporate air bubbles and mix in other ingredients. Anne Brockhoff, Kansas City Star, 30 Jan. 2024 Tip the dough out onto a clean surface, and knead briefly to bring the dough together. Sabrina Weiss, Peoplemag, 27 Nov. 2023 Among the guidelines: The dough consists of four simple ingredients — water, salt, wheat flour and yeast, and must be kneaded by hand or with a slow-speed mixer and formed without a rolling pin. Blair Kerkhoff, Kansas City Star, 19 Jan. 2024 Add the salt and continue to knead until the dough is smooth and elastic and pulls away from the sides of the bowl, adding flour by the tablespoon as needed, 5 to 6 minutes; the dough should be moist and plush but not sticky. Caron Golden, San Diego Union-Tribune, 10 Jan. 2024 For those who don't want to do any kneading this is the bread recipe for you. Pam Lolley, Southern Living, 17 Dec. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'knead.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Middle English kneden, from Old English cnedan; akin to Old High German knetan to knead

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of knead was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near knead

Cite this Entry

“Knead.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/knead. Accessed 18 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

knead

verb
1
: to work and press into a mass with or as if with the hands
2
: to treat as if by kneading : massage
kneader noun

More from Merriam-Webster on knead

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