- present participle of know.
knowing
Americanadjective
-
affecting, implying, or deliberately revealing shrewd knowledge of secret or private information.
a knowing glance.
- Synonyms:
- perceptive, eloquent, significant, meaningful
-
shrewd, sharp, or astute.
-
conscious; intentional; deliberate.
adjective
-
suggesting secret information or knowledge
-
wise, shrewd, or clever
-
deliberate; intentional
noun
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of knowing
First recorded in 1325–75; Middle English knawynge (earlier knowende, knawande ); equivalent to know 1 + -ing 2
Explanation
Something that's knowing is sneakily wise or perceptive. A knowing smile conveys a lot of information — it implies that you know a secret or are in on some background information. Picture Mona Lisa. A knowing glance tells its recipient that you've got them figured out or that you're aware of something they haven't shared with many people. You can use this adjective to simply mean "having knowledge" or "intentional" too, as when someone makes a knowing purchase of stolen goods. The noun version of knowing is also simple, meaning "the state of having knowledge or being aware."
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
“There is something incredibly freeing about not knowing and being present,” he says.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 5, 2026
Rather than directly instructing participants to sit in a particular way, the team altered the environment so that posture changed without the participants knowing why.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 5, 2026
His personal coach took him on a training camp to Austria for several weeks this summer, knowing he could be returning to football in the near future.
From BBC ● Aug. 4, 2026
Opposing offenses built entire game plans around them, knowing it would often take throwing two guys in their way to give the quarterback a chance of getting a pass off.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 4, 2026
How she lived all her life not knowing what had happened to her, until her one true friend came back into her life.
From "Code Name Kingfisher" by Liz Kessler
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.
