knife

1 of 2

noun

plural knives ˈnīvz How to pronounce knife (audio)
often attributive
1
a
: a cutting instrument consisting of a sharp blade fastened to a handle
b
: a weapon or tool resembling a knife
2
: a sharp cutting blade or tool in a machine
3
: surgery sense 4
usually used in the phrase under the knife
knifelike adjective

knife

2 of 2

verb

knifed; knifing

transitive verb

1
: to use a knife on
specifically : to stab, slash, or wound with a knife
2
: to cut, mark, or spread with a knife
3
: to try to defeat by underhanded means
4
: to move like a knife in
birds knifing the autumn sky

intransitive verb

: to cut a way with or as if with a knife blade
the cruiser knifed through the heavy seas

Examples of knife in a Sentence

Noun Each dinner guest gets two forks, a knife, and a spoon. He pulled a knife on me and threatened to stab me with it. Verb He died after being knifed in the chest. ships knifing through the waves
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
Rathbone tried to subdue Booth, but the assassin attacked him with a knife. Vanessa Armstrong, Smithsonian Magazine, 14 Mar. 2024 The crowd’s love for Patel only grew more fervent as the film went on, revealing not only a new cinematic voice, but a surprisingly political action thriller that saw Patel’s character take on the Hindu caste system with teeth, knives and blood. Selome Hailu, Variety, 12 Mar. 2024 An essential for home chefs, this knife set comes with five stainless steel knives and sheaths. Isabel Garcia, Peoplemag, 9 Mar. 2024 The residents, Lindor said, were part of a neighborhood vigilante group — a mix of off-duty police officers and civilians, often armed with machetes or knives, who take turns watching the neighborhood. Samantha Schmidt, Washington Post, 9 Mar. 2024 Guns were used in 5.1% of attacks while knives and other cutting weapons were used in 2.3%. Elliot Hughes, Journal Sentinel, 5 Mar. 2024 During his trial, Edwards testified that Williams lunged at him with a knife and he was left with no choice but to shoot her, according to WEWS. Jennifer Rodriguez, Kansas City Star, 5 Mar. 2024 Paul catches up with the already dying and scrambling Baron, his newfound grandfather, and plunges his knife into the Baron's neck. Bryan Alexander, USA TODAY, 2 Mar. 2024 He was found hiding in the bushes near an apartment complex with a hunting knife and a .32-caliber pistol. Charles Rabin, Miami Herald, 1 Mar. 2024
Verb
MacKinnon’s ability to knife through multiple waves of defenders who are ostensibly set up specifically with a plan to contain him was on display earlier this month at Madison Square Garden. Corey Masisak, The Denver Post, 18 Feb. 2024 Then after an Izzo timeout with 5:23 to play, Walker knifed into the paint and finished through traffic to put MSU up, 56-63. Chris Solari, Detroit Free Press, 21 Jan. 2024 But redshirt senior forward Patrick McCaffery knifed through the heart of the Terps’ defense to bank in a layup just before the buzzer sounded to send Iowa into halftime with a 37-31 lead. Edward Lee, Baltimore Sun, 15 Feb. 2024 In 2006, Park Geun-hye, then a conservative opposition leader, was knifed by a man with a box cutter during an election rally. Hyung-Jin Kim and Jiwon Song, USA TODAY, 2 Jan. 2024 Jones knifed through the Dallas Cowboys for 118 yards on 21 carries with three touchdowns in a 48-32 upset win. Jerry McDonald, The Mercury News, 18 Jan. 2024 Folsom threatened to regain the lead late in the third quarter, but Drew Cofield knifed through the line to block Lincoln Phelps’ 32-yard field-goal attempt and teammate David Montes recovered. Steve Galluzzo, Los Angeles Times, 10 Dec. 2023 Investigators believe she was knifed in her home, stumbled outside and collapsed. Rebecca Rosenberg, Fox News, 25 Oct. 2023 Emmer, who voted to certify the 2020 election results, quickly saw stiff opposition from far-right members and their leader, Trump, who knifed the Minnesotan on social media, imploring lawmakers to block his candidacy. Erin B. Logan, Los Angeles Times, 25 Oct. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'knife.' 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

Noun

Middle English knif, from Old English cnīf, perhaps from Old Norse knīfr; akin to Middle Low German knīf knife

First Known Use

Noun

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

Verb

1865, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

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

Dictionary Entries Near knife

Cite this Entry

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

Kids Definition

knife

1 of 2 noun
plural knives ˈnīvz How to pronounce knife (audio)
1
: a cutting instrument consisting of a sharp blade fastened to a handle
2
: a cutting blade in a machine

knife

2 of 2 verb
knifed; knifing
1
: to stab, slash, or wound with a knife
2
: to move like a knife
ships knifing through the sea

Medical Definition

knife

noun
plural knives ˈnīvz How to pronounce knife (audio)
1
: any of various instruments used in surgery primarily to sever tissues: as
a
: a cutting instrument consisting of a sharp blade attached to a handle
b
: an instrument that cuts by means of an electric current
2
: surgery sense 3
usually used in the phrase under the knife
went under the knife yesterday
was afraid of the knife

More from Merriam-Webster on knife

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