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:
Now legal attacks from outside threaten to kneecap it entirely.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 27, 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
But traditional builders and single-family rental landlords are still grappling with how new restrictions, which need to be codified by Congress, could kneecap their businesses.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 3, 2026
When he’s done massaging the plaster, he smooths it down with his hands, then presses his thumbs around the bottom part of my kneecap, getting a good impression of that area.
From "The Running Dream" by Wendelin Van Draanen
Many of the lesions and tears that had begun shrinking during training were smaller and the fresh damage seen around some kneecaps had largely dissipated, with few remaining signs of lesions and tears.
From Washington Post ● Oct. 19, 2022
When the Lions hired Campbell nearly a year ago, he was perhaps as fired up as any coach could be at an introductory news conference as he talked about kicking teeth and biting kneecaps.
From Seattle Times ● Jan. 10, 2022
As an example, when I underwent laser treatment, my calves and thighs didn’t hurt very much, but shins and kneecaps did.
From Slate ● Apr. 8, 2021
When Detroit unveiled its new head coach on Jan. 21, the guy talked about biting kneecaps and kicking teeth, Dan Campbell’s bizarre fit of passion stirring national attention.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 5, 2021
We were to our kneecaps in weeds and pods back here because I hadn’t worked this far with the scythe.
From "The Teacher’s Funeral" by Richard Peck
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
For weeks, automakers and suppliers have publicly sounded an optimistic tone, pointing to the industry’s lessons from a semiconductor crisis a few years ago that kneecapped production around the world.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 28, 2025
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
If large domestic companies are kneecapped, foreign companies will be quick to seize market share in strategically sensitive sectors such as AI and quantum computing, the chamber wrote.
From Seattle Times ● Feb. 21, 2022
The Delta wave kneecapped any sense that COVID-19 was behind us.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 16, 2021
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
To make matters worse, the photo resulted in Griffin being investigated by the Department of Justice and the Secret Service, landing her on the no-fly list and kneecapping any remaining prospects of live standup work.
From Salon ● Oct. 28, 2024
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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.
