kneecap
Americanverb (used with object)
-
kneecaps,
present (3rd person singular)
-
kneecapped,
past participle, past
-
kneecapping
present participle
noun
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
kneecapsimple
-
kneecapssimple
-
have kneecappedperfect
-
has kneecappedperfect
-
am kneecappingprogressive
-
are kneecappingprogressive
-
is kneecappingprogressive
-
have been kneecappingperfect progressive
-
has been kneecappingperfect progressive
Past
-
kneecappedsimple
-
had kneecappedperfect
-
was kneecappingprogressive
-
were kneecappingprogressive
-
had been kneecappingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of kneecap
Explanation
Your kneecap is the bony plate that covers the joint in the middle of your leg, between your thigh and shin. Whales don't have kneecaps, but it might surprise you to know that mice and birds do. The kneecap is just what it sounds like, a protective cap for your vulnerable knee. While the official anatomical term is patella, it's far more common to call this body part a kneecap. When babies are small, their kneecaps are made of soft cartilage, but by the time they're about three they harden into strong bone. If you're a fan of Mafia movies, you might also recognize the verb kneecap, "to shoot someone in the knee."
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:
Late Friday, an Iranian official detailed Khamenei’s injuries for the first time, saying his kneecap and back had been wounded in the strike that killed his father.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 10, 2026
Savitt, an OpenAI lawyer, said the lawsuit was motivated by Musk seeking to kneecap a "competitor".
From BBC ● Apr. 29, 2026
Few if any government spokespeople have done more to kneecap their own agency in court than McLaughlin.
From Slate ● Feb. 18, 2026
Hill suffered torn ligaments and a dislocated kneecap in a game against the New York Jets last year, ending his season.
From Barron's ● Feb. 17, 2026
They were black leather, with steel toes and acid-green laces that ran from ankle to bony kneecap, where they ended in neon bunny ears.
From "Darius the Great Is Not Okay" by Adib Khorram
Detroit coach Dan Campbell — who famously declared during his introductory press conference in 2021 that his team would bite off opponents’ kneecaps — told reporters that Branch’s actions were unacceptable.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 13, 2025
It also kneecaps much of the NLRB’s work.
From Slate ● Jan. 29, 2025
The Fed is trying to pull of the difficult feat of slowing the economy enough through high interest rates to stifle high inflation but not so much that it kneecaps the job market.
From Seattle Times ● May 26, 2024
But some runners showed symptoms of new, if slight, damage in the bones and cartilage right around their kneecaps, a part of the joint that absorbs much of the pounding from running.
From Washington Post ● Oct. 19, 2022
My jaw dropped so far it damn near broke my kneecaps.
From "Flush" by Carl Hiaasen
Most notably, “Practical Magic 2” is kneecapped by a fatal flaw that plagues almost all of these legacy sequels, but this one especially: It’s positively unsightly to look at.
From Salon ● Sep. 14, 2026
Weak teams are given a boost and strong ones are kneecapped, all as a matter of course.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 28, 2026
In the decade and a half before the GCA kneecapped his war-surplus business, Cummings imported some 5 million firearms for distribution on the U.S. consumer market.
From Slate ● May 25, 2025
The systemic bias of the music industry may be a burden, but it hasn’t completely kneecapped Uchis on her road to fame.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 11, 2024
The $4 billion dividend payment would have kneecapped Albertsons.
From Seattle Times ● Nov. 8, 2022
Boulder, kneecapping a statute that was pretty clear on its face.
From Slate ● Oct. 5, 2026
Fable comes with broad restrictions Anthropic says are aimed at kneecapping its ability to assist users with potentially dangerous activities.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 11, 2026
"We should not be kneecapping America's largest source of renewable power, especially when we need more cheap, homegrown electricity," the Environmental Defense Fund's lead counsel Ted Kelly said in a statement.
From Barron's ● Dec. 22, 2025
“We should not be kneecapping America’s largest source of renewable power,” he said, “especially when we need more cheap, homegrown electricity.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 8, 2025
These deals, a notable result of the pandemic kneecapping the movie theater business, haven’t changed much since they were first implemented at the top of the decade.
From Salon ● May 22, 2025
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
