shiv

[ shiv ]
See synonyms for shiv on Thesaurus.com
nounSlang.
  1. a knife, especially a switchblade.

  2. Also called shank . an improvised or homemade weapon for cutting or stabbing, especially one honed by a prison inmate or used by a criminal.

verb (used with object)
  1. to cut or stab (someone) with a shiv; shank.

Origin of shiv

1
First recorded in 1665–75; perhaps alteration of Romani chiv “blade”
  • Rarely chiv .

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

British Dictionary definitions for shiv

shiv

/ (ʃɪv) /


noun
  1. a variant spelling of chiv

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012