knife
[ nahyf ]
/ naɪf /
noun, plural knives [nahyvz] /naɪvz/.
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), knifed, knif·ing.
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), knifed, knif·ing.
to move or cleave through something with or as if with a knife: The ship knifed through the heavy seas.
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Idioms for knife
under the knife, in surgery; undergoing a medical operation: The patient was under the knife for four hours.
Origin of knife
before 1100; Middle English knif, Old English cnīf; cognate with Dutch knijf, German Kneif, Old Norse knīfr
OTHER WORDS FROM knife
knife·like, adjectiveknif·er, nounWords nearby knife
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020
Example sentences from the Web for knifes
British Dictionary definitions for knifes
knife
/ (naɪf) /
noun plural knives (naɪvz)
verb (tr)
to cut, stab, or kill with a knife
to betray, injure, or depose in an underhand way
Derived forms of knife
knifelike, adjectiveknifer, nounWord Origin for knife
Old English cnīf; related to Old Norse knīfr, Middle Low German knīf
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Idioms and Phrases with knifes
knife
see at gunpoint (knifepoint); under the knife; you could cut it with a knife.
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.