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View synonyms for

knife

[ nahyf ]

noun

plural knives
  1. an instrument for cutting, consisting essentially of a thin, sharp-edged, metal blade fitted with a handle.
  2. a knifelike weapon; dagger or short sword.
  3. any blade for cutting, as in a tool or machine.


verb (used with object)

knifed, knifing.
  1. to apply a knife to; cut, stab, etc., with a knife.
  2. to attempt to defeat or undermine in a secret or underhanded way.

verb (used without object)

knifed, knifing.
  1. to move or cleave through something with or as if with a knife:

    The ship knifed through the heavy seas.

knife

/ Բɪ /

noun

  1. a cutting instrument consisting of a sharp-edged often pointed blade of metal fitted into a handle or onto a machine
  2. a similar instrument used as a weapon
  3. have one's knife in someone
    to have a grudge against or victimize someone
  4. twist the knife
    to make a bad situation worse in a deliberately malicious way
  5. the knives are out for someone
    people are determined to harm or put a stop to someone

    the knives are out for Stevens

  6. under the knife
    undergoing a surgical operation
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

verb

  1. to cut, stab, or kill with a knife
  2. to betray, injure, or depose in an underhand way
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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Derived Forms

  • ˈԾڱˌ, adjective
  • ˈԾڱ, noun
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Other Word Forms

  • Ծڱl adjective
  • Ծİ noun
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Word History and Origins

Origin of knife1

before 1100; Middle English knif, Old English ī; cognate with Dutch knijf, German Kneif, Old Norse īڰ
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Word History and Origins

Origin of knife1

Old English ī; related to Old Norse īڰ, Middle Low German ī
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Idioms and Phrases

Idioms
  1. under the knife, in surgery; undergoing a medical operation:

    The patient was under the knife for four hours.

More idioms and phrases containing knife

see at gunpoint (knifepoint) ; under the knife ; you could cut it with a knife .
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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

She left a chilling 37-second voicemail message as he attacked her with multiple knives.

From

He was under the influence of drugs, carrying a knife and behaving erratically when members of the public first contacted the police.

From

Notwithstanding Republicans’ protestations of reverence for Medicaid, the truth is that they and their fellow conservatives have had their knives out for the program virtually since its inception in 1965.

From

Rates of knife crime, violence against women, and theft could rise in London without more government funding, the Metropolitan Police commissioner has warned.

From

The teenager, who brought a weapon to school every day, used her father's multi-tool knife to initially attack Ms Elias on 24 April 2024.

From

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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.

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