knead
Americanverb (used with object)
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to work (dough, clay, etc.) into a uniform mixture by pressing, folding, and stretching.
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to manipulate by similar movements, as the body in a massage.
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to make by kneading.
to knead bread.
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to make kneading movements with.
She kneaded her fist into her palm.
verb
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to work and press (a soft substance, such as bread dough) into a uniform mixture with the hands
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to squeeze, massage, or press with the hands
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to make by kneading
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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kneadsimple
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kneadssimple
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have kneadedperfect
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has kneadedperfect
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am kneadingprogressive
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are kneadingprogressive
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is kneadingprogressive
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have been kneadingperfect progressive
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has been kneadingperfect progressive
Past
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kneadedsimple
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had kneadedperfect
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was kneadingprogressive
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were kneadingprogressive
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had been kneadingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of knead
before 950; Middle English kneden, Old English cnedan; cognate with German kneten, Dutch kneden
Explanation
To knead is to massage, as you might knead a sore muscle to relieve the pain or knead bread dough before baking it. Knead, pronounced “need,” comes from Old English, and its meaning has changed little over time. Knead is sometimes used to describe a cat’s behavior of repeatedly pushing its paws (and claws) into soft surfaces — almost like it’s kneading dough. We’re pretty sure cats did the same thing long ago when folks spoke Old English, but there’s no word on whether knead was used to describe this behavior back then.
Vocabulary lists containing knead
The Silent Treatment: Words Plagued by Silent Letters
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Stairway To Leaven: Baking Vocabulary
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"The Odyssey," Vocabulary from Part 1 of the epic poem
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Announced on both X/Twitter and Instagram, Auntie Anne's Pretzels has debuted its new fragrance, "Knead: Eau De Pretzel."
From Salon • Aug. 7, 2024
Knead the pork for the cochinita pibil so it soaks up the citrus marinade better.
From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 19, 2023
With Knead Hospitality + Design, her partners for Gatsby and the Washington Mah-Ze-Dahr, she is creating the desserts for Gatsby, a retro, Flapper-era diner the group has opened next door to the bakery.
From New York Times • Apr. 6, 2021
At Knead Hospitality & Design, a restaurant group in Washington, D.C., hourly employees are being offered four hours pay and those on salary will get a day of paid time off if they are inoculated.
From Seattle Times • Feb. 14, 2021
“Well, I put enough on his tray. Here. Knead this dough.”
From "Kindred" by Octavia Butler
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.
