kneecap

American  

[nee-kap] / ˈniˌkæp /

noun

1. the patella.

2. a protective covering, usually knitted, for the knee.

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verb (used with object)

kneecapped, kneecapping

1. to cripple (a person) by shooting in the knee.

   Terrorists were kneecapping prospective jurors.

kneecap British  

/ ˈniːˌkæp /

noun

1. anatomy a nontechnical name for patella

2. another word for poleyn

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verb

1. (esp of certain terrorist groups) to shoot (a person) in the kneecap, esp as an act of retaliation

kneecap Scientific  

/ nē′kăp′ /

1. See patella

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Other Word Forms

• kneecapper noun

Etymology

Origin of kneecap

First recorded in 1650–60; knee + cap ¹

Example Sentences

"We should not be kneecapping America's largest source of renewable power, especially when we need more cheap, homegrown electricity," the Environmental Defense Fund's lead counsel Ted Kelly said in a statement.

From Barron's

“We should not be kneecapping America’s largest source of renewable power,” he said, “especially when we need more cheap, homegrown electricity.”

From Los Angeles Times

Autumn’s sword clatters to the ground, now free from the troll’s kneecap.

From Literature

For weeks, automakers and suppliers have publicly sounded an optimistic tone, pointing to the industry’s lessons from a semiconductor crisis a few years ago that kneecapped production around the world.

From The Wall Street Journal

Those who survived the pandemic were then kneecapped again by the raids.

From Los Angeles Times