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• knight
  knight

  noun

  a mounted soldier serving under a feudal superior in the Middle Ages.
• Knight
  Knight

  noun

  Eric, 1897–1943, U.S. novelist, born in England.

knight

¹ American  

[nahyt] / naɪt /

noun

• knights
  plural

1. a mounted soldier serving under a feudal superior in the Middle Ages.

2. (in Europe in the Middle Ages) a man, usually of noble birth, who after an apprenticeship as page and squire was raised to honorable military rank and bound to chivalrous conduct.

3. any person of a rank similar to that of the medieval knight.

4. a man upon whom the nonhereditary dignity of knighthood is conferred by a sovereign because of personal merit or for services rendered to the country. In Great Britain he holds the rank next below that of a baronet, and the title Sir is prefixed to the Christian name, as in Sir John Smith.

5. a member of any order or association that designates its members as knights.

6. Chess. a piece shaped like a horse's head, moved one square vertically and then two squares horizontally or one square horizontally and two squares vertically.

7. Nautical.

   1. a short vertical timber having on its head a sheave through which running rigging is rove.

   2. any other fitting or erection bearing such a sheave.

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verb (used with object)

• knights,
  present (3rd person singular)
• knighted,
  past participle,  past
• knighting
  present participle

1. to dub or make (a man) a knight.

Knight ² American  

[nahyt] / naɪt /

noun

1. Eric, 1897–1943, U.S. novelist, born in England.

2. Frank Hyneman 1885–1972, U.S. economist.

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knight ¹ British  

/ naɪt /

noun

1. 1. (originally) a person who served his lord as a mounted and heavily armed soldier

   2. (later) a gentleman invested by a king or other lord with the military and social standing of this rank

2. (in modern times) a person invested by a sovereign with a nonhereditary rank and dignity usually in recognition of personal services, achievements, etc. A British knight bears the title Sir placed before his name, as in Sir Winston Churchill

3. a chess piece, usually shaped like a horse's head, that moves either two squares horizontally and one square vertically or one square horizontally and two squares vertically

4. a heroic champion of a lady or of a cause or principle

5. a member of the Roman class of the equites

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verb

1. (tr) to make (a person) a knight; dub

Knight ² British  

/ naɪt /

noun

1. Dame Laura. 1887–1970, British painter, noted for her paintings of Gypsies, the ballet, and the circus

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knight Cultural  

1. A mounted warrior in Europe in the Middle Ages. (See chivalry.)

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Discover More

Over the centuries, knighthood gradually lost its military functions, but it has survived as a social distinction in Europe, especially in England.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• knightless
  adjective
• unknighted
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• knights
  plural

Participles

• knighting
  present
• knighted
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• knight
  simple
• knights
  simple
• have knighted
  perfect
• has knighted
  perfect
• am knighting
  progressive
• are knighting
  progressive
• is knighting
  progressive
• have been knighting
  perfect progressive
• has been knighting
  perfect progressive

Past

• knighted
  simple
• had knighted
  perfect
• was knighting
  progressive
• were knighting
  progressive
• had been knighting
  perfect progressive

Future

• will knight
  simple
• will have knighted
  perfect
• will be knighting
  progressive
• will have been knighting
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of knight

before 900; Middle English; Old English cniht boy, manservant; cognate with German, Dutch knecht servant

Explanation

Traditionally the noun knight means someone born of the nobility and trained to fight, usually in heavy metal armor. If a king decides to knight you, that means the king wants to make you into a knight. Real life knights haven’t been around since the Middle Ages, which ended around 600 years ago. These days knight is an honorary title awarded by nations with royal families like the UK. These nations will knight anyone they think is deserving from a rock star to a politician. More casually, you can use knight to describe anyone who acts chivalrously, or bravely. If you are rescued from a burning building, you might call your rescuer, a "knight in shining armor."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

knight Knight knights knighted knighting

Instead, the story of a lone knight and his young companion forges a new tonal path in the “Game of Thrones” universe.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 16, 2026

His highest honour yet came on Tuesday, when the 48-year-old became a knight of the National Order of the Leopard.

From BBC ● Jun. 5, 2026

The protests all sound a little bit like the “Not dead yet” knight in Monty Python.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 17, 2026

The first part references Galahad, a knight known for his upright and noble character, reflecting the animal's upright posture.

From Science Daily ● Mar. 21, 2026

“I do. I used to. But I’ve been away at boarding school, and then university, and then here…Why bishop takes knight? I can just capture back, improve my pawn structure.”

From "The Bletchley Riddle" by Ruta Sepetys and Steve Sheinkin

“We recognize a pretextual and retaliatory termination when we see one, and what you have done here is not subtle,” said the letter, which was signed by John L. Brownlee of Holland & Knight.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 4, 2026

“A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms,” which aired earlier this year, took that lesson to heart and quickly won over viewers.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 31, 2026

“Saar’s assemblage doesn’t just describe history,” wrote former Times art critic Christopher Knight of her work in 2019, “it embodies a visceral connection to it.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 27, 2026

The follow up, “The Dark Knight Rises,” also passed a billion worldwide.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 14, 2026

"I told you, Melisandre," he said to the red woman, "my Onion Knight tells me the truth."

From "A Clash of Kings" by George R.R. Martin

Armies stopped relying on knights in armor when they came up against gunpowder weapons.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 22, 2026

The report found 21 other royal post-holders, including 17 military knights, have accommodation without charge in the occupied palaces.

From BBC ● Jun. 4, 2026

We’re obviously very thematically about fathers and sons, knights and squires, and, to a certain extent brothers.

From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 22, 2026

However, this tourney attracts lords and knights from great houses throughout Westeros, including a couple whose families figure prominently in “Game of Thrones.”

From Salon ● Jan. 17, 2026

The boys charged for the plane, jumping onto what was left of the nose and raising their sticks into the air like victorious knights.

From "We'll Fly Away" by Bryan Bliss

A national hero of Barbados, he was a legend in the West Indies on the back of a Test career that spanned 20 years, and was knighted soon after his retirement.

From BBC ● Jul. 17, 2026

Chris Mullin, a former Labour MP who played a key role in the release of wrongly convicted Birmingham Six, is knighted for political and public service.

From BBC ● Jun. 12, 2026

You’ve been knighted by the king of Spain!

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 12, 2026

Beckham, who was knighted by Britain's King Charles III last year, also ventured into the entertainment industry, co-founding the content production company Studio 99 in 2019.

From Barron's ● Jun. 2, 2026

James Jay, who had been knighted by King George Ill, was the brother of a leading Patriot, John Jay.

From "George Washington, Spymaster" by Thomas B. Allen

Highlights include Podrick singing "Jenny of Oldstones," Sansa reuniting with Theon, and of course, Jaime knighting Brienne.

From Salon ● Aug. 17, 2022

With many outgoing prime ministers in their final days often rewarding or knighting members of their loyal staff, perhaps a chance to repair the relationship still remains.

From BBC ● Jul. 24, 2019

A mere two weeks after her triumphant knighting, Brienne ended the episode wailing over a man while wearing a nightgown – one of the only times we’ve seen her out of her armour.

From The Guardian ● May 8, 2019

Yes, he was very sweet to Brienne, especially in that impromptu knighting ceremony, and yes, it was nice to see the Lannister brothers make up after letting Cersei come between them one too many times.

From Slate ● Apr. 22, 2019

“You could write about dragons too,” Tony said, now knighting a small boxwood bush.

From "Stella by Starlight" by Sharon M. Draper