knife
Americannoun
-
knives
plural
-
an instrument for cutting, consisting essentially of a thin, sharp-edged, metal blade fitted with a handle.
-
a knifelike weapon; dagger or short sword.
-
any blade for cutting, as in a tool or machine.
verb (used with object)
-
knifes,
present (3rd person singular)
-
knifed,
past participle, past
-
knifing
present participle
-
to apply a knife to; cut, stab, etc., with a knife.
-
to attempt to defeat or undermine in a secret or underhanded way.
verb (used without object)
-
knifes,
present (3rd person singular)
-
knifed,
past participle, past
-
knifing
present participle
idioms
noun
-
a cutting instrument consisting of a sharp-edged often pointed blade of metal fitted into a handle or onto a machine
-
a similar instrument used as a weapon
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to have a grudge against or victimize someone
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to make a bad situation worse in a deliberately malicious way
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people are determined to harm or put a stop to someone
the knives are out for Stevens
-
undergoing a surgical operation
verb
-
to cut, stab, or kill with a knife
-
to betray, injure, or depose in an underhand way
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
knifesimple
-
knifessimple
-
have knifedperfect
-
has knifedperfect
-
am knifingprogressive
-
are knifingprogressive
-
is knifingprogressive
-
have been knifingperfect progressive
-
has been knifingperfect progressive
Past
-
knifedsimple
-
had knifedperfect
-
was knifingprogressive
-
were knifingprogressive
-
had been knifingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of knife
before 1100; Middle English knif, Old English cnīf; cognate with Dutch knijf, German Kneif, Old Norse knīfr
Explanation
A knife is a sharp tool that's used for slicing or cutting. We suggest using a knife as a kitchen tool instead of as a weapon. A bread knife has a long, serrated edge, and the blade of a pocket knife folds into its handle so you can safely carry it in your pocket. Surgeons use very small knives to make delicate cuts during operations, and various kinds of knives are sometimes used as weapons. To knife, in fact, is to stab or cut with a knife, almost always in a violent way.
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:
“As a boy, I’d start weeping. And boys don’t cry; I’d blubber. I couldn’t help it — it was like a knife going into me. And my father said, ‘What’s the matter with you?’
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 11, 2026
A police chief has apologised after admitting phones were seized from the Manchester synagogue attacker months before the car and knife assault but they were not examined.
From BBC ● Jul. 23, 2026
Let the pastries cool in the tin for 10 minutes, then gently loosen them with a small offset spatula or butter knife.
From Salon ● Jul. 20, 2026
"Women should think twice before succumbing to the charm of all these Instagram beauties and going under the knife."
From Barron's ● Jul. 17, 2026
He sheathed his knife and looked round for his things.
From "Wolf Brother" by Michelle Paver
His custom-built cutlery bins, meanwhile, are exactly proportional to the length of his spoons and knives.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 15, 2026
Arrabaca had two axes, a hammer, a machete, six fireworks and three fixed-blade knives, Barnacle said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 20, 2026
Why did he keep a box of knives under his bed?
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 23, 2026
His mother, Lisa Petrie, has called for tougher bail restrictions for those accused of inflicting serious injuries with knives.
From BBC ● Jun. 7, 2026
Razi wandered in and out of the crowds, dodging flying scales as fishermen expertly sliced and gutted fish with their sharp, curving knives.
From "The Boy Who Met a Whale" by Nizrana Farook
A blocks-long motorcade glides along freeways closed to traffic and knifes through city streets cleared specially for her path.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 4, 2024
Speaking to broadcasters during a visit to Kilburn police station in north west London, Mr Sunak said there was "no reason" why such knifes should be on the streets.
From BBC ● Aug. 30, 2023
Take Can a woman win the election: a sly, mean, ego-saving little canard that knifes both its subject and its verb in order to spare the real actor here.
From Slate ● Jan. 14, 2020
I picture her crumpling into the nearest chair the way one sometimes does when bad news knifes through that thin veil of hope mixed with denial.
From New York Times ● Sep. 14, 2016
There was all sorts of sharp and dangerous-looking blades and razors and knifes setting behind where the barber stood whilst he was cutting hair.
From "The Journey of Little Charlie" by Christopher Paul Curtis
Hunter knifed through the defense and broke for an 11-yard gain.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 10, 2025
Rickea Jackson, with her wiry strength and burst, knifed past defenders as Dearica Hamby mixed bruising post work with feather-soft finishes and Azurá Stevens — the most versatile of the bunch — filled every gap.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 13, 2025
The quick dives of harbor porpoise, with their tiny dorsal, knifed the water.
From Seattle Times ● Sep. 10, 2023
He pointed his arms to the clear spring sky, knifed by the vapor trails of passing airplanes.
From Washington Post ● Apr. 16, 2023
Headlights knifed through the darkness, all turned toward the Fullers’ porch.
From "Out of Darkness" by Ashley Hope Pérez
In their first game playing as Hoop Nation against Donda Academy on Friday night, he added a new dimension to the Huskies’ offense with knifing drives into the paint and a soft midrange touch.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 18, 2022
Van Lith, whose first basket came on a knifing drive for a layup with 1:43 left in the second quarter, had two jumpers blocked by Beal and three turnovers in the first half.
From Seattle Times ● Apr. 1, 2022
Bolsonaro, 66, has been in the Sao Paulo hospital since Wednesday for treatment relating to an obstructed intestine following the 2018 knifing.
From Reuters ● Jul. 17, 2021
He scored 22 points and had seven assists in 19 minutes before halftime, knifing through the paint and juking Washington defenders as if on skates with his repaired Achilles’ tendon.
From Washington Post ● Feb. 15, 2021
“Don’t turn the light on—” she said hastily, fearing the harsh, knifing blast of fluorescence.
From "The Milagro Beanfield War" by John Nichols
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.
