knife

[ nahyf ]

noun

, plural knives [nahyvz].

1. an instrument for cutting, consisting essentially of a thin, sharp-edged, metal blade fitted with a handle.
2. a knifelike weapon; dagger or short sword.
3. any blade for cutting, as in a tool or machine.

verb (used with object)

, knifed, knif·ing.

1. to apply a knife to; cut, stab, etc., with a knife.
2. to attempt to defeat or undermine in a secret or underhanded way.

verb (used without object)

, knifed, knif·ing.

1. to move or cleave through something with or as if with a knife:

   The ship knifed through the heavy seas.

knife

/ naɪf /

noun

1. a cutting instrument consisting of a sharp-edged often pointed blade of metal fitted into a handle or onto a machine
2. a similar instrument used as a weapon
3. have one's knife in someone
   have one's knife in someone to have a grudge against or victimize someone
4. twist the knife
   twist the knife to make a bad situation worse in a deliberately malicious way
5. the knives are out for someone
   the knives are out for someone people are determined to harm or put a stop to someone

   the knives are out for Stevens

6. under the knife
   under the knife undergoing a surgical operation

verb

1. to cut, stab, or kill with a knife
2. to betray, injure, or depose in an underhand way

Derived Forms

• ˈknifer, noun
• ˈknifeˌlike, adjective

Other Words From

• knifelike adjective
• knifer noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of knife¹

before 1100; Middle English knif, Old English cnīf; cognate with Dutch knijf, German Kneif, Old Norse knīfr

Word History and Origins

Origin of knife¹

Old English cnīf; related to Old Norse knīfr, Middle Low German knīf

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. under the knife, in surgery; undergoing a medical operation:

   The patient was under the knife for four hours.

More idioms and phrases containing knife

see at gunpoint (knifepoint) ; under the knife ; you could cut it with a knife .

Example Sentences

Anything that quickens the movement of money will have far-reaching effects at a time when businesses exist on a solvency knife edge.

From MIT Technology Review

Such people could have been harmed by a knife, spear or arrow, Broehl explains.

From Science News For Students

For knives that I’m going to carry in a pocket or on my belt, I find that the sweet spot in blade length is between three and four inches.

From Outside Online

This arrangement helps prevent your knife from snagging on things like seat belts, doors, or bags, helping ensure that the knife doesn’t fall out of your pocket.

From Outside Online

A knife is a tool, and the right tool is determined by the job you’re asking it to perform.

From Outside Online

I took out my knife, my Ka-Bar, and knocked his teeth out, but they fell into his throat.

From The Daily Beast

He had a special knife designed to cut the dense loaf, and a ceremony to precede cutting the cake.

From The Daily Beast

Wielding a curved knife, a young man navigates past the aging structures and into the forest.

From The Daily Beast

But in the next instant, Peters is stepping back to the table and snatching up the knife.

From The Daily Beast

“Stand the f--- away from the knife right now, man,” the cop says.

From The Daily Beast

Pearson flung his knife and fork at it, having forgotten to drop those light weapons when he leaped up.

From Project Gutenberg

Black Sheep looked up at Harry's throat and then at a knife on the dinner-table.

From Project Gutenberg

A knife would hurt, but Aunty Rosa had told him, a year ago, that if he sucked paint he would die.

From Project Gutenberg

The servant-girl came up from the kitchen, took the knife away, and consoled him.

From Project Gutenberg

Black Sheep sat at the bottom of the stairs, the table-knife in his hand, and wept for that he had not killed Harry.

From Project Gutenberg