ken

[ ken ]

/ kɛn /

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noun

knowledge, understanding, or cognizance; mental perception: an idea beyond one's ken.

range of sight or vision.

verb (used with object), kenned or kent, ken·ning.

Chiefly Scot.

to know, have knowledge of or about, or be acquainted with (a person or thing).
to understand or perceive (an idea or situation).

Scots Law. to acknowledge as heir; recognize by a judicial act.

Archaic. to see; descry; recognize.

British Dialect, Archaic.

to declare, acknowledge, or confess (something).
to teach, direct, or guide (someone).

verb (used without object), kenned or kent, ken·ning.

British Dialect.

to have knowledge of something.
to understand.

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His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

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Origin of ken

First recorded before 900; Middle English kennen “to make known, see, know,” Old English cennan “to make known, declare”; cognate with Old Norse kenna, German kennen; akin to can¹,know¹

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH ken

ken , kin

Words nearby ken

Kemijoki, kemp, Kempe, Kempis, kempt, ken, kenaf, kenbei, kench, Kendal, Kendal green

Other definitions for ken (2 of 3)

Ken

[ ken ]

/ kɛn /

noun

a male given name, form of Kendall or Kenneth.

Other definitions for ken (3 of 3)

Ken.

abbreviation

Kentucky.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use ken in a sentence

Both Ken and Sarah Burns joined me on Vox Conversations for a fascinating discussion about their latest film, its subject, and the art of documentary storytelling.
Ken Burns’s latest is on the Greatest|Jamil Smith|September 23, 2021|Vox
“We have found Philip Glass at high volume tranquilizes both dogs quite nicely,” wrote Ken.
Some people go to extreme lengths to soothe their neurotic dogs|John Kelly|July 21, 2021|Washington Post
It’s the summer of 2020, and we’re at the Center for Whale Research, which is also Ken’s house.
Is It Too Late for the Southern Resident Orcas?|Catherine DeNardo|February 3, 2021|Outside Online
Alexa Green, a Pittsfield local, describes Ken’s Bowl as a form of “security.”
America’s Independent Bowling Alleys Might Not Make It Through the Pandemic|Emma Orlow|January 15, 2021|Eater

Omnibus has a fan group on Facebook, and back in January when Style did a huge front-page feature on Jennings after he won the Greatest of All Time tournament, I posted a photo there of the page, and Ken contacted me to get a copy of the original.
Style Conversational Week 1408: What’s wrong with this picture|Pat Myers|October 29, 2020|Washington Post
Brooklyn district attorney Ken Thompson explained his decision to impanel a grand jury in a statement released Friday.
New York's Next Killer-Cop Grand Jury|Jacob Siegel|December 6, 2014|DAILY BEAST
You have mentioned in interview that Dale Eaglesham and Ken Lashley are joining you on the new Secret Six.
Gail Simone’s Bisexual Catman and the ‘Secret Six’|Rich Goldstein|December 6, 2014|DAILY BEAST
So the plan is for Ken to draw an arc with Dale doing covers, and then Dale does an arc with Ken doing covers.
Gail Simone’s Bisexual Catman and the ‘Secret Six’|Rich Goldstein|December 6, 2014|DAILY BEAST
In 1978, for instance, Hockney was introduced to a new printing method by the famed printer Ken Tyler.
The Many Lives of Artist David Hockney|William O’Connor|November 23, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Ken Russell, the now sadly deceased British film director, told me he considered Jarman a visionary.
The Queer Genius of Film Director Derek Jarman|Tim Teeman|November 1, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Many things besides book-learning did Wang Ken teach his pupil.
Our Little Korean Cousin|H. Lee M. Pike
Wang Ken improved this opportunity to tell Yung Pak how important it was that all boys should follow such an example.
Our Little Korean Cousin|H. Lee M. Pike
"I'll bet yo 'un a hoss I ken put a ball through that Yank's heart at fifty paces," he roared.
The Courier of the Ozarks|Byron A. Dunn
It appears to be a Southern form, adopted here for the rime, like ken for kin in Book of the Duch.
Chaucer's Works, Volume 1 (of 7) -- Romaunt of the Rose; Minor Poems|Geoffrey Chaucer
Nelson specially delighted in Ken's morning, evening, and midnight hymns.
The English Church in the Eighteenth Century|Charles J. Abbey and John H. Overton

British Dictionary definitions for ken (1 of 2)

ken

/ (kɛn) /

noun

range of knowledge or perception (esp in the phrases beyond or in one's ken)

verb kens, kenning, kenned or kent (kɛnt)

Scot and Northern English dialect to know

Scot and Northern English dialect to understand; perceive

(tr) archaic to see

Word Origin for ken

Old English cennan; related to Old Norse kenna to perceive, Old High German kennen to make known; see can 1

British Dictionary definitions for ken (2 of 2)

Ken.

abbreviation for

Kentucky

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

ken

Origin of ken

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH ken

Words nearby ken

Other definitions for ken (2 of 3)

Other definitions for ken (3 of 3)

Words related to ken

How to use ken in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for ken (1 of 2)

Word Origin for ken

British Dictionary definitions for ken (2 of 2)