kneecap

1 of 2

noun

knee·​cap ˈnē-ˌkap How to pronounce kneecap (audio)
plural kneecaps
: a thick flat triangular movable bone that forms the anterior point of the knee and protects the front of the joint : patella
… [Richard] Steadman did arthroscopic surgery on both knees, taking out cartilage, and adjusting synovial plica, the bands of thickened tissue that line the joint behind the kneecapsWilliam Oscar Johnson
Many people who play basketball, volleyball, or soccer are all too familiar with patellar tendinitis, an inflammation of the large tendon connecting the kneecap to the upper tibia.Andrew Weil
The stifle joint of a horse corresponds to the human knee. It has a patella, or kneecap, at the front of the joint.Robert M. Miller

kneecap

2 of 2

verb

kneecapped; kneecapping; kneecaps

transitive verb

: to shoot or otherwise maim or disable the knee of (someone)
He was shot in both knees, deliberately maimed—"kneecapped," in local parlance.Francis X. Clines
… punishing petty crooks and unruly juveniles by kneecapping them, sometimes with bullets, sometimes with a … power drill. The degree of crippling one receives is supposed to be a reflection of the gravity of one's crime.Bill Barich
often used figuratively
… hearing from people who grasp their brows in dire concern over whether the President is now too damaged to carry on—this from people who have been doing their … best to kneecap the man for years.Molly Ivins
This 66-yard scoring drive Smith engineered late in the first half … basically kneecapped the home team.Austin Murphy
The decision to liquidate $25 million worth of the band's Live Nation stock last year nearly kneecapped the company …Steve Kandell

Examples of kneecap in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
The man who promised that the Lions were going to kick teams in the teeth and bite kneecaps in his first press conference with the team did not disappoint. Casey L. Moore, USA TODAY, 29 Jan. 2024 Campbell’s reputation is as an alpha dog, a former blocking tight end who famously said in his introductory press conference that his Lions need to metaphorically bite their opponents’ kneecaps. Danny Emerman, The Mercury News, 29 Jan. 2024 Often, the type of knee pain—which can crop up at the front under your kneecap, along the side, or in the muscles surrounding the joint—that occurs with aging tends to be dull and achy. Cindy Kuzma, SELF, 14 Feb. 2024 Body of knowledge Technically speaking, babies are born without kneecaps. Scott Lafee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 26 Dec. 2023 That said, the Lions will be ‘biting kneecaps’ this week on our run to the Superbowl. Chuck Schilken, Los Angeles Times, 10 Jan. 2024 The most common types of kneecap injuries include the following. Jonathan Cluett, Md, Verywell Health, 9 Nov. 2023 Surgery is almost always recommended to repair a torn ACL, which involves replacing the ligament with a new one called a graft made of tissue from a patient’s kneecap tendons or hamstrings, or from a donor. Katie Camero, NBC News, 16 Nov. 2023 When Florida Urgent Rescue met the pup after he was flown to Florida from the Bahamas, his kneecaps were raw, and the skin on his stomach was infected from having to drag his back legs behind him for over a month. Kelli Bender, Peoplemag, 24 Oct. 2023
Verb
That was at least partly because Dan Campbell kneecapped his own team by being stupid-brave on fourth-and-short and failing twice in the fourth quarter, leaving an easy six points on the field. Greg Cote, Miami Herald, 29 Jan. 2024 What’s clear is that the skeleton crew at X is working hard to crank out cool features (as anyone who remembers the glacial pace of innovation at the old Twitter will attest), and sometimes they get kneecapped by Musk in a bad mood. Kylie Robison, Fortune, 5 Jan. 2024 Yunus and affiliated organizations face hundreds of cases in total, and supporters argue that the legal campaign is an effort to kneecap a potential rival to Hasina ahead of elections on Jan. 7. Alan Murray, Fortune, 2 Jan. 2024 Columbus Day was long ago kneecapped, thrown in the trunk of a car, and dumped in a scrapyard somewhere in New Jersey. Rich Lowry, National Review, 23 Dec. 2023 Last October, the Biden administration ordered an export ban on advanced semiconductors to Chinese companies, in a bid to kneecap its rival’s chip industry. Nicholas Gordon, Fortune, 29 Nov. 2023 In a statement, Kim told The Times that McCarthy’s removal has kneecapped the chamber from responding to pertinent issues. Erin B. Logan, Los Angeles Times, 21 Oct. 2023 Republicans there tried to kneecap that effort through another ballot measure that would have required a 60% supermajority to amend the state’s constitution. Erin B. Logan, Los Angeles Times, 8 Nov. 2023 Yet Huawei’s recent phone may show that China can produce more advanced chips despite U.S. rules designed to kneecap the country’s semiconductor industry. Alan Murray, Fortune, 5 Sep. 2023

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

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1833, in the meaning defined above

Verb

1974, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of kneecap was in 1833

Dictionary Entries Near kneecap

Cite this Entry

“Kneecap.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/kneecap. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

kneecap

noun
knee·​cap ˈnē-ˌkap How to pronounce kneecap (audio)
: a thick flat movable bone forming the front part of the knee

called also patella

Medical Definition

kneecap

noun
knee·​cap ˈnē-ˌkap How to pronounce kneecap (audio)

More from Merriam-Webster on kneecap

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!