knead
Americanverb (used with object)
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to work (dough, clay, etc.) into a uniform mixture by pressing, folding, and stretching.
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to manipulate by similar movements, as the body in a massage.
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to make by kneading.
to knead bread.
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to make kneading movements with.
She kneaded her fist into her palm.
verb
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to work and press (a soft substance, such as bread dough) into a uniform mixture with the hands
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to squeeze, massage, or press with the hands
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to make by kneading
Other Word Forms
- kneadability noun
- kneadable adjective
- kneader noun
- kneadingly adverb
- reknead verb (used with object)
- unkneaded adjective
Etymology
Origin of knead
before 950; Middle English kneden, Old English cnedan; cognate with German kneten, Dutch kneden
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.
"You repurpose existing skills -- using an oven, measuring ingredients, kneading dough -- and combine them with new ones, like whipping batter and making frosting, to create something entirely different."
From Science Daily
This uneven motion effectively kneads the molten rock and helps generate bubbles.
From Science Daily
While the crossings remain closed, life has regained a semblance of normality, with bakers kneading bread, fruit and vegetable sellers wheeling out their carts, and customers frequenting shops.
From Barron's
In a world that often feels bleak, and where domestic pleasures are increasingly dismissed as “trad-wifery,” it’s heartening to see one of the most powerful women in the world kneading a rainbow-speckled funfetti loaf.
From Salon
Workers don't like to wake up early to knead dough by hand, Mr Hur says softly.
From BBC
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.
