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Synonyms

knew

American  
[noo, nyoo] / nu, nyu /

verb

  1. simple past tense of know.

knew British  
/ njuː /

verb

  1. the past tense of know

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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.

Deep down, Ramsey already knew the end was in sight – and had done for a while.

From BBC • Apr. 7, 2026

The village life she knew has been largely digitized and paved over.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 7, 2026

But Mara was more than a transfer, he was transformative, and everyone who had watched him roaming the Pauley floor during his sporadic appearances knew it.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 7, 2026

In an advert in the Wall Street Journal headlined "To Those I've Hurt", West said he knew he had to make amends.

From Barron's • Apr. 7, 2026

Peter became my music student until—in about six months—he had learned everything I knew and went on to more expert teachers.

From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom

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.