knee
Anatomy. the joint of the leg that allows for movement between the femur and tibia and is protected by the patella; the central area of the leg between the thigh and the lower leg.
Zoology. the corresponding joint or region in the hind leg of a quadruped; stifle.
a joint or region likened to this but not anatomically homologous with it, as the tarsal joint of a bird, the carpal joint in the forelimb of the horse or cow, etc.
the part of a garment covering the knee.
something resembling a bent knee, especially a rigid or braced angle between two framing members.
Building Trades.
the junction of the top and either of the uprights of a bent.
a curved member for reinforcing the junction of two pieces meeting at an angle.
Also called kneeler. a stone cut to follow a sharp return angle.
to strike or touch with the knee.
to secure (a structure, as a bent) with a knee.
Obsolete. to go down on the knees; kneel.
Idioms about knee
bring someone to his / her knees, to force someone into submission or compliance.
cut (someone) off at the knees, to squelch or humiliate (a person) suddenly and thoroughly: The speaker cut the heckler off at the knees.
on one's / its knees,
in a supplicatory position or manner: I came to him on my knees for the money.
in a desperate or declining condition: The country's economy is on its knees.
take a knee, to kneel on one knee, usually with the opposite leg also bent at a 90-degree angle and placed forward with the foot on the ground, as in sports or as a posture in protests and demonstrations: Our soccer team would take a knee if a player on either team was injured.Organizers are coordinating so the crowds at every state capitol will take a knee in protest of racial injustice simultaneously, across time zones.
Origin of knee
1Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use knee in a sentence
Sprawled on chaise lounges with their knees high in the air and their legs spread wide.
Powerful Congressman Writes About ‘Fleshy Breasts’ | Asawin Suebsaeng | January 7, 2015 | THE DAILY BEASTHis arthritic knees are at their worst, despite the endless shots of painkiller.
Alfred Hitchcock’s Fade to Black: The Great Director’s Final Days | David Freeman | December 13, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTA doctor comes to his house and gives him shots of cortisone to calm the arthritic pain in his knees.
Alfred Hitchcock’s Fade to Black: The Great Director’s Final Days | David Freeman | December 13, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTI made my way, on hands and knees, to a bed near the dictating voice.
“Now get on your knees and crawl,” he demanded with the slap of a leather horse crop against the palm of his hand.
At the sight, Felipe flung himself on his knees before her; he kissed the aged hands as they lay trembling in her lap.
Ramona | Helen Hunt JacksonNo; there I stood, half-astonished, half-abashed while the Marquise continued on her knees and made her silent orisons.
Upon his knees then, he lingered, while I rained blow after blow upon his upturned face.
The Homesteader | Oscar MicheauxHe threw himself on his knees, begging us, in the name of God and all the saints, to spare his life.
Aristide clambered back to his seat, took the child on his knees, and commiserated it profoundly.
The Joyous Adventures of Aristide Pujol | William J. Locke
British Dictionary definitions for knee
/ (niː) /
the joint of the human leg connecting the tibia and fibula with the femur and protected in front by the patella: Technical name: genu Related adjective: genicular
the area surrounding and above this joint
(modifier) reaching or covering the knee: knee breeches; knee socks
a corresponding or similar part in other vertebrates
the part of a garment that covers the knee
the upper surface of a seated person's thigh: the child sat on her mother's knee
anything resembling a knee in action, such as a device pivoted to allow one member angular movement in relation to another
anything resembling a knee in shape, such as an angular bend in a pipe
any of the hollow rounded protuberances that project upwards from the roots of the swamp cypress: thought to aid respiration in waterlogged soil
bend the knee or bow the knee to kneel or submit
bring someone to his knees to force someone into submission
bring something to its knees to cause something to be in a weakened or impoverished state
(tr) to strike, nudge, or push with the knee
Origin of knee
1Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Other Idioms and Phrases with knee
In addition to the idiom beginning with knee
, also see
- bring to one's knees
- on bended knee
.
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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