knight

[ nahyt ]

/ naɪt /

Save This Word!

See synonyms for knight on Thesaurus.com

noun

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

(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.

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

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.

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

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.

Nautical.

a short vertical timber having on its head a sheave through which running rigging is rove.
any other fitting or erection bearing such a sheave.

verb (used with object)

to dub or make (a man) a knight.

QUIZ

ARE YOU A TRUE BLUE CHAMPION OF THESE "BLUE" SYNONYMS?

We could talk until we're blue in the face about this quiz on words for the color "blue," but we think you should take the quiz and find out if you're a whiz at these colorful terms.

Question 1 of 8

Which of the following words describes “sky blue”?

navy

beryl

azure

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Meet Grammar Coach

Write or paste your essay, email, or story into Grammar Coach and get grammar help

Improve Your Writing

Meet Grammar CoachImprove Your Writing

Origin of knight

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

OTHER WORDS FROM knight

knightless, adjectiveun·knight·ed, adjective

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH knight

knight , night

Words nearby knight

knife pleat, knifepoint, knife rest, Knife River, knife switch, knight, knight bachelor, knight banneret, Knight, Death and the Devil, knight-errant, knight-errantry

Other definitions for knight (2 of 2)

Knight

[ nahyt ]

/ naɪt /

noun

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

Frank Hy·ne·man

[hahy-nuh-muhn], /ˈhaɪ nə mən/, 1885–1972, U.S. economist.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021

How to use knight in a sentence

Knight also noted the anti-LGBTQ crackdown across Indonesia.
Two men in Indonesia’s Aceh province caned for having sex|Michael K. Lavers|January 30, 2021|Washington Blade
Knight and his wife gave more than $900 million to the Knight Foundation and $300 million to the University of Oregon.
Jeff Bezos made the single-largest charitable donation of 2020, toward climate change|lbelanger225|January 5, 2021|Fortune
Knight, a tall, imposing figure with penetrating blue eyes, was sent back into the army only to desert again, making his way home on foot.
These Pioneers Tried to Get the Confederate Flag Out of Mississippi 156 Years Ago|Fiona Zublin|December 3, 2020|Ozy
“I don’t think they’re really feeling it right now,” Knight said.
Fugitive who died in gun battle with Md. police killed his estranged girlfriend in Fla., authorities say|Dan Morse|November 18, 2020|Washington Post

Instead, Knight’s team had planned to use other materials that can generate current from the swaying of trees.
Trees power this alarm system for remote forest fires|Stephen Ornes|October 16, 2020|Science News For Students
So she lies to the knight, telling him Madalena is sorry and wants him back.
‘Galavant’: A Drunken, Horny Musical Fairy Tale|Melissa Leon|January 5, 2015|DAILY BEAST
The NOPD fired Knight in 1973 for stealing lumber from a construction site as an off-duty cop.
The Louisiana Racists Who Courted Steve Scalise|Jason Berry|January 3, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Knight and Farrell were both fired from the New Orleans Police Department before they gravitated to Duke.
The Louisiana Racists Who Courted Steve Scalise|Jason Berry|January 3, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Scalise was a state representative old enough to remember the notoriety of Farrell and Knight from years before.
The Louisiana Racists Who Courted Steve Scalise|Jason Berry|January 3, 2015|DAILY BEAST
“Poor Steve Scalise is getting a bad rap,” Knight, a long-time aide to former KKK leader David Duke, told The Daily Beast.
GOP Boss Gets Help From ‘White Hate’ Pal|Tim Mak|December 30, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The worthy knight not being now alive to veto the project, a figure of him has been placed opposite the College in Edmund Street.
Showell's Dictionary of Birmingham|Thomas T. Harman and Walter Showell
That brave knight was my great, great grandfather, and he has often sat in this very chair in which I am sitting now.
The World Before Them|Susanna Moodie
The handsome person and gallant bearing of the youthful knight excited general sympathy and regret.
King Robert the Bruce|A. F. Murison
But to a Knight of Industry, as he knew the Count to be, a certain thousand pounds would be a great temptation.
The Joyous Adventures of Aristide Pujol|William J. Locke
According to Froissart, he was 'esteemed the bravest and most enterprising knight in the two kingdoms.'
King Robert the Bruce|A. F. Murison

British Dictionary definitions for knight (1 of 2)

knight

/ (naɪt) /

noun

(in medieval Europe)

(originally) a person who served his lord as a mounted and heavily armed soldier
(later) a gentleman invested by a king or other lord with the military and social standing of this rank

(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

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

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

a member of the Roman class of the equites

verb

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

Word Origin for knight

Old English cniht servant; related to Old High German kneht boy

British Dictionary definitions for knight (2 of 2)

Knight

/ (naɪt) /

noun

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

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

Cultural definitions for knight

knight

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

notes for knight

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

knight

Origin of knight

OTHER WORDS FROM knight

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH knight

Words nearby knight

Other definitions for knight (2 of 2)

Words related to knight

How to use knight in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for knight (1 of 2)

Word Origin for knight

British Dictionary definitions for knight (2 of 2)

Cultural definitions for knight

notes for knight