a mounted soldier serving under a feudal superior in the Middle Ages.
(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.
any person of a rank similar to that of the medieval knight.
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.
a member of any order or association that designates its members as knights.
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.
Nautical.
a short vertical timber having on its head a sheave through which running rigging is rove.
any other fitting or erection bearing such a sheave.
Eric, 1897–1943, U.S. novelist, born in England.
Frank Hyneman 1885–1972, U.S. economist.
(originally) a person who served his lord as a mounted and heavily armed soldier
(later) a gentleman invested by a king or other lord with the military and social standing of this rank
(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
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
a heroic champion of a lady or of a cause or principle
a member of the Roman class of the equites
Over the centuries, knighthood gradually lost its military functions, but it has survived as a social distinction in Europe, especially in England.
before 900; Middle English; Old English cniht boy, manservant; cognate with German, Dutch knecht servant
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."
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A partner at Knight Law Group, an L.A.-based lemon law firm, once billed an “ostensibly heroic but physically impossible” 57.5-hour workday, Ford alleged.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 18, 2026
Vessels still are likely to encounter “port congestion,” as well as chartering and scheduling disruptions, said Sean Pribyl, a maritime attorney at Holland & Knight.
From MarketWatch • Jun. 18, 2026
Company dancer Lloyd Knight, costumed as the Preacher in “Spring” and captured in a determined stance on a boulder, faces the book’s last page, which quotes Graham: “Dancers are the messengers of the gods.”
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 9, 2026
The Knights of Malta welcomed him, petitioned the pope for special dispensation, and made him a Knight of the Order of St. John.
From Slate • Jun. 6, 2026
"This is actually a rare and valuable artifact passed down for generations. Lancelot used it, so did Sir Gawain, and for a time the Black Knight kept it on a chain next to his heart."
From "Freak The Mighty" by Rodman Philbrick
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.
