knead
Americanverb (used with object)
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kneads,
present (3rd person singular)
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kneaded,
past participle, past
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kneading
present participle
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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
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kneadabilitynoun
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kneadernoun
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rekneadverb (used with object)
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kneadableadjective
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unkneadedadjective
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kneadinglyadverb
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
Stairway To Leaven: Baking Vocabulary
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The Silent Treatment: Words Plagued by Silent Letters
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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.
See Examples For:
Following the instructions, you mix the flour with yeast, salt and water, give it a quick knead, rest it an hour, then divide it and let it rise on your counter for 8-10 hours.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 22, 2026
Workers don't like to wake up early to knead dough by hand, Mr Hur says softly.
From BBC ● Jun. 11, 2025
When the batter has formed into a cohesive ball, turn it onto the floured work surface and knead the dough for two minutes.
From Washington Times ● Dec. 12, 2023
Scrape dough onto a clean, unfloured surface, and knead 4 to 5 times, forming a smooth ball.
From Seattle Times ● Nov. 21, 2023
She stood by the sink, drinking and chewing, and watching her grandmother knead the pale dough.
From "Homecoming" by Cynthia Voigt
This uneven motion effectively kneads the molten rock and helps generate bubbles.
From Science Daily ● Nov. 22, 2025
He kneads pizza dough before cranking out several dozen tortillas.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 19, 2025
As she kneads a ball of rice with her hands, mixing it with the lentils and spinach before feeding it to one of her children, she explains that even buying bread is a struggle.
From BBC ● Jul. 4, 2022
Whereas a traditional pizzeria kneads dough in the morning and lets it rise until dinnertime, the new procedure combines leavening and baking into a single step.
From Science Magazine ● Mar. 22, 2022
He kneads his hand into his side; he's been running and now he has a cramp.
From "Girl in the Blue Coat" by Monica Hesse
Looking a bit unsure of herself, the Princess of Wales kneaded the dough, applied a filling and cut out the pasta shapes as Ivan Lampredi, a chef, assisted her.
From Barron's ● May 14, 2026
He and I really kneaded it to make it the funniest part.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 26, 2024
This is then cooked in a giant pot and slowly kneaded with a wooden stick until it thickens.
From Seattle Times ● Mar. 15, 2024
A toasted rice aroma hangs around the factory line, where rice is combined with small plastic beads, heated and kneaded before being extruded in thin rods that are cooled and cut into tiny brown pellets.
From Reuters ● Mar. 9, 2023
He broke the newness of the shoes with rubbed sand and kneaded the raincoat to destroy its newness.
From "East of Eden" by John Steinbeck
Cooks in the royal kitchens also advanced the art of naan-making by introducing specialised kneading techniques and adding yeast - a rare ingredient at the time - to make the bread softer and fluffier.
From BBC ● Dec. 29, 2025
"You repurpose existing skills -- using an oven, measuring ingredients, kneading dough -- and combine them with new ones, like whipping batter and making frosting, to create something entirely different."
From Science Daily ● Nov. 28, 2025
While the crossings remain closed, life has regained a semblance of normality, with bakers kneading bread, fruit and vegetable sellers wheeling out their carts, and customers frequenting shops.
From Barron's ● Oct. 20, 2025
In a world that often feels bleak, and where domestic pleasures are increasingly dismissed as “trad-wifery,” it’s heartening to see one of the most powerful women in the world kneading a rainbow-speckled funfetti loaf.
From Salon ● Aug. 31, 2025
Sometimes I spent the whole day working beside her: shelling peas, kneading bread dough, turning the handle of the wringer after she’d washed clothes, feeding the chickens, sweeping the porch.
From "Homesick" by Jean Fritz
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