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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

Wandering the “maze” of streets in Venice takes patience, he tells us: “Proceeding like the knight in a game of chess, you chart a course of right angles.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 28, 2026

Despite endless questions about the future, they still had a tournament to host, and LIV Golf's white knight was in town - "the investor", as he was most frequently described.

From BBC ● Aug. 21, 2026

The other, a Flea Bottom orphan taken in by a drunken hedge knight, spent most of his life sleeping on the hard ground.

From Salon ● Jun. 20, 2026

“I never wanted to play Falstaff,” he says, of Shakespeare’s portly, boastful knight from “Henry IV.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 8, 2026

The giant left a note saying: "They shall not return to their natural shapes until the brave knight from La Mancha himself fights me."

From "Adventures of Don Quixote" by Argentina Palacios

Fifth-year tailback Wayne Knight led the way again, scoring three touchdowns for the second straight game as he rushed for 97 yards in 13 carries.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 13, 2026

Knight worked with policymakers and a U.K. charity to raise awareness and help doctors and the general public recognize ectopic pregnancy symptoms.

From Salon ● Sep. 13, 2026

The project, written by Peaky Blinders' creator Steven Knight, is part concert film and part documentary, and follows the band on the reunion tour that began in Cardiff in July 2025.

From BBC ● Sep. 11, 2026

“The Pitt” will defend its drama series title against “The Diplomat,” “The Gilded Age,” “A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms,” “Paradise,” “Pluribus,” “Slow Horses” and “Your Friends & Neighbors.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 11, 2026

“The more I think about the matter, the less enthusiasm I have,” he told Knight.

From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik

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

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 22, 2026

So now we await the further tussle of the embattled knights, Sir Keir Starmer and Sir Olly Robbins, potentially one day after another in parliament in a few days time.

From BBC ● Apr. 17, 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

If there were an unofficial tagline that describes it best, it is that all men are knights, and all men are fools.

From Salon ● Jan. 17, 2026

He paused for a second, then added: "You, like all knights in armor, should have a squire to be your helper and companion."

From "Adventures of Don Quixote" by Argentina Palacios

Rugby league star Kevin Sinfield is knighted while children's authors Malorie Blackman and Julia Donaldson are made dames in the King's Birthday Honours.

From BBC ● Jun. 12, 2026

You’ve been knighted by the king of Spain!

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 12, 2026

In politics former Conservative MP David Gauke is knighted for services to the justice system after carrying out an independent review of sentencing.

From BBC ● Jun. 12, 2026

Patrick Vernon is being knighted for services to racial equality.

From BBC ● Jun. 12, 2026

"The king knighted the boy after Lord Arryn's death."

From "A Game of Thrones" by George R.R. Martin

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

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

It was only after she was told that people thought her insane that she backed down on knighting him in 1897, the year of her diamond jubilee.

From The Guardian ● Sep. 10, 2017

But if understood in the context of his career, Erickson’s white knighting becomes only superficially out of character.

From Salon ● Aug. 11, 2015

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

From "Stella by Starlight" by Sharon M. Draper