noun
-
a skilful, ingenious, or resourceful way of doing something
-
a particular talent or aptitude, esp an intuitive one
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of knack
1325–75; Middle English: trick; perhaps same word as knak sharp-sounding blow, rap, cracking noise (imitative)
Explanation
If you have a knack for doing something, you do it well. You may have a knack for baking cakes or a knack for cracking jokes. These things come easy to you. Although the noun knack refers to a special talent, the sense is that it is a more innate talent — as opposed to a certain technique. So if someone instinctively has a talent for fixing plumbing, for example, you can say they have a knack for it. If, however, they unclog a sink by having a wrench in one hand and a how-to book in the other, then they may have the technique, but they probably don't have the knack.
Vocabulary lists containing knack
The Vocabulary.com Top 1000
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The Girl Who Drank the Moon
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Just Mercy
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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.
See Examples For:
Often duded up in a cowboy hat and suspenders, Eatherly had a knack for marketing and proved to be an exceptional conman.
From Slate ● Aug. 20, 2026
As she managed in the quite good sci-fi coming-of-age dramedy “My Old Ass,” Stella has a knack for giving authenticity to the outlandish — a naturalistic conviction that reminds me of Florence Pugh.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 12, 2026
With a knack for picking winners, Lindzon had been invested in the chip space for five or six years, he said.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 21, 2026
The Three Lions became just the third team to win a competitive match at the iconic stadium, despite their knack for self-sabotage.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 7, 2026
Between her training as a teacher and Daddy’s natural knack for numbers, education was highly valued in our home.
From "Reaching for the Moon" by Katherine Johnson
Vargas, 18, and Hernandez, 19, have displayed knacks for reaching base in rookie ball but face long roads to reach the big leagues.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 1, 2023
While there's nothing wrong with a little decluttering, you don't have to shed your quirky knick knacks if you don't want to.
From Salon ● Jul. 31, 2022
To date, these objects have included hand towels, litter, and any random “knick knacks that don’t look breakable.”
From The Verge ● Jun. 11, 2020
“Just the little knicks and knacks that Kyle brought to me, that’s when I learned the most,” Oliver said.
From Seattle Times ● Aug. 22, 2019
If we were born with all these knacks inbuilt, automated like ants, we would surely miss the variety.
From "The Lives of a Cell" by Lewis Thomas
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.
