Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com
Synonyms

knew

American  
[noo, nyoo] / nu, nyu /

verb

  1. simple past tense of know.

knew British  
/ njuː /

verb

  1. the past tense of know

"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

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.

It was a risky move and Jonathan Torres knew it, but he did it anyway.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 5, 2026

"I felt like I started really well. Terri was very negative and we knew she was going to be. It was tricky to get her."

From BBC • Apr. 5, 2026

“They were out there looking for him, the soldiers were all over the place looking for him because they knew he was somewhere. A lot of great things happened.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 5, 2026

I knew I had that speed and wanted to prove it.”

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 5, 2026

But perhaps that was the lesson Clare had needed to learn: The wise Afterlife knew it would not be a difficult ushering and trusted that Clare could manage it.

From "The Undead Fox of Deadwood Forest" by Aubrey Hartman

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.