blade

American  

[bleyd] / bleɪd /

noun

1. the flat cutting part of a sword, knife, etc.

2. a sword, rapier, or the like.

3. a part of a tool or mechanism which is thin and flat with a tapered edge, used for clearing, wiping, scraping, etc..

   the blade of a windshield wiper;

   the blade of a bulldozer.

4. the arm of a propeller or other similar rotary mechanism, as an electric fan or turbine.

5. Botany.

   1. the leaf of a plant, especially of a grass or cereal.

   2. the broad part of a leaf, as distinguished from the stalk or petiole.

6. the metal part of an ice skate that comes into contact with the ice.

7. a thin, flat part of something, as of an oar or a bone.

   shoulder blade.

8. a prosthetic lower leg, primarily for athletes, ending in a curved strip of flexible carbon fiber that acts as an ankle and foot, allowing running and jumping.

9. Phonetics.

   1. the foremost and most readily flexible portion of the tongue, including the tip and implying the upper and lower surfaces and edges.

   2. the upper surface of the tongue directly behind the tip, lying beneath the alveolar ridge when the tongue is in a resting position.

10. the elongated hind part of a fowl's single comb.

11. a swordsman.

12. Archaic. a dashing, swaggering, or jaunty young man.

    a gay blade from the nearby city.

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blade British  

/ bleɪd /

noun

1. the part of a sharp weapon, tool, etc, that forms the cutting edge

2. (plural) hand shears used for shearing sheep

3. the thin flattish part of various tools, implements, etc, as of a propeller, turbine, etc

4. the flattened expanded part of a leaf, sepal, or petal

5. the long narrow leaf of a grass or related plant

6. the striking surface of a bat, club, stick, or oar

7. the metal runner on an ice skate

8. archaeol a long thin flake of flint, possibly used as a tool

9. the upper part of the tongue lying directly behind the tip

10. archaic a dashing or swaggering young man

11. short for shoulder blade

12. a poetic word for a sword swordsman

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blade Scientific  

/ blād /

1. 1. The expanded part of a leaf or petal.

   2. The leaf of grasses and similar plants.

2. A stone tool consisting of a slender, sharp-edged, unserrated flake that is at least twice as long as it is wide. Blade tools were developed late in the stone tool tradition, after core and flake tools, and were probably used especially as knives.

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Other Word Forms

• bladed
  adjective
• bladeless
  adjective
• multiblade
  noun
• unblade
  verb (used with object)

Etymology

Origin of blade

First recorded before 1000; Middle English blad(e), blaid “leaf, blade (of a plant or sword)”; Old English blæd “blade (of grass or an oar)”; cognate with Dutch blad, Old Norse blath, German Blatt; akin to blow ³

Explanation

A blade is a very sharp metal edge of a tool. A good cooking knife should have its blade sharpened regularly. Knives, swords, and razors have blades, metal edges so fine and thin that they can cut and slice. The shoulder bone is sometimes called a "shoulder blade," and a piece of grass is also a blade. In fact, the original meaning of the Old English blæd was "leaf," and then "something resembling a leaf." In the 14th century, the word was applied to swords, based on their shape — similar to a leaf or blade of grass.

Example Sentences

The company also launched the Qilin 3 battery, which it says can deliver a 1,000-kilometer driving range and weighs only 625 kilograms, much lighter than the BYD Long Blade 2.0 battery.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 22, 2026

CEO Steve Martocci, who previously co-founded messaging platform GroupMe and the Uber-for-helicopters company Blade, said he spends $1,114 a month on 28 supplements he takes daily to address nutrient deficiencies and, hopefully, increase his longevity.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 18, 2026

Harrison Ford won the lifetime achievement prize after a six-decade career that has included roles in Star Wars, The Fugitive, Indiana Jones and Blade Runner.

From BBC • Mar. 2, 2026

In the early 2010s, the editorial pages of the Post-Gazette and its sister publication, the Toledo Blade, also owned by the Blocks, began turning conservative after decades of being more liberal and pro-labor.

From MarketWatch • Nov. 13, 2025

The High Blade paced silently for a few moments.

From "Scythe" by Neal Shusterman

Related Words

• knife
• sword