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• knight
  knight

  noun

  a mounted soldier serving under a feudal superior in the Middle Ages.
• Knight
  Knight

  noun

  Eric, 1897–1943, U.S. novelist, born in England.

knight

¹ American  

[nahyt] / naɪt /

noun

1. a mounted soldier serving under a feudal superior in the Middle Ages.

2. (in Europe in the Middle Ages) a man, usually of noble birth, who after an apprenticeship as page and squire was raised to honorable military rank and bound to chivalrous conduct.

3. any person of a rank similar to that of the medieval knight.

4. a man upon whom the nonhereditary dignity of knighthood is conferred by a sovereign because of personal merit or for services rendered to the country. In Great Britain he holds the rank next below that of a baronet, and the title Sir is prefixed to the Christian name, as in Sir John Smith.

5. a member of any order or association that designates its members as knights.

6. Chess. a piece shaped like a horse's head, moved one square vertically and then two squares horizontally or one square horizontally and two squares vertically.

7. Nautical.

   1. a short vertical timber having on its head a sheave through which running rigging is rove.

   2. any other fitting or erection bearing such a sheave.

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verb (used with object)

1. to dub or make (a man) a knight.

Knight ² American  

[nahyt] / naɪt /

noun

1. Eric, 1897–1943, U.S. novelist, born in England.

2. Frank Hyneman 1885–1972, U.S. economist.

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knight ¹ British  

/ naɪt /

noun

1. 1. (originally) a person who served his lord as a mounted and heavily armed soldier

   2. (later) a gentleman invested by a king or other lord with the military and social standing of this rank

2. (in modern times) a person invested by a sovereign with a nonhereditary rank and dignity usually in recognition of personal services, achievements, etc. A British knight bears the title Sir placed before his name, as in Sir Winston Churchill

3. a chess piece, usually shaped like a horse's head, that moves either two squares horizontally and one square vertically or one square horizontally and two squares vertically

4. a heroic champion of a lady or of a cause or principle

5. a member of the Roman class of the equites

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verb

1. (tr) to make (a person) a knight; dub

Knight ² British  

/ naɪt /

noun

1. Dame Laura. 1887–1970, British painter, noted for her paintings of Gypsies, the ballet, and the circus

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knight Cultural  

1. A mounted warrior in Europe in the Middle Ages. (See chivalry.)

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Discover More

Over the centuries, knighthood gradually lost its military functions, but it has survived as a social distinction in Europe, especially in England.

Other Word Forms

• knightless
  adjective
• unknighted
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of knight

before 900; Middle English; Old English cniht boy, manservant; cognate with German, Dutch knecht servant

Explanation

Traditionally the noun knight means someone born of the nobility and trained to fight, usually in heavy metal armor. If a king decides to knight you, that means the king wants to make you into a knight. Real life knights haven’t been around since the Middle Ages, which ended around 600 years ago. These days knight is an honorary title awarded by nations with royal families like the UK. These nations will knight anyone they think is deserving from a rock star to a politician. More casually, you can use knight to describe anyone who acts chivalrously, or bravely. If you are rescued from a burning building, you might call your rescuer, a "knight in shining armor."

Example Sentences

“He was like a knight in shining armor,” says Megan Snyders, 33, a British children’s book illustrator who watched Manguillier search for her friend Olivia Tysoe’s engagement ring.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 24, 2026

The first part references Galahad, a knight known for his upright and noble character, reflecting the animal's upright posture.

From Science Daily • Mar. 21, 2026

Mero, in collaboration with fellow street artist Wild Life, has turned the blighted space into a fantastical haven with a knight, a dragon and more — a decaying castle from a bygone era.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 4, 2026

A long table sits at its center, flanked by a knight, a digital fireplace and weaponry.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 26, 2026

If anything was more feared than an Eye, it was the Eye’s weapon—the source of the knight’s power, cursed to destroy anyone who touched it other than the knight himself.

From "Half Upon a Time" by James Riley