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

CAN YOU ANSWER THESE COMMON GRAMMAR DEBATES?

There are grammar debates that never die; and the ones highlighted in the questions in this quiz are sure to rile everyone up once again. Do you know how to answer the questions that cause some of the greatest grammar debates?

Question 1 of 7

Which sentence is correct?

His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

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

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. 2023

How to use knight in a sentence

Knight said in an interview Wednesday that Braddy had come back into McDaniel’s life.
Fugitive who died in gun battle with Md. police killed his estranged girlfriend in Fla., authorities say|Dan Morse|November 18, 2020|Washington Post
So Knight and his colleagues wondered whether the antibodies might be causing neutrophils to release traps that trigger clotting.
How COVID-19 may trigger dangerous blood clots|Erin Garcia de Jesus|November 2, 2020|Science News
Knight, a caregiver for the elderly and people with disabilities, made sure to vote in 2016.
Pennsylvania’s New Vote-by-Mail Law Expands Access for Everyone Except the Poor|by Jonathan Lai, Samantha Melamed and Michaelle Bond, The Philadelphia Inquirer|October 22, 2020|ProPublica
In the end, Knight never pursued the idea beyond building a model.
Trees power this alarm system for remote forest fires|Stephen Ornes|October 16, 2020|Science News For Students

Over the course of several decades, Knight would shepherd his company to global supremacy with a series of aggressive marketing initiatives and savvy pro athlete sponsorship deals.
A New Book on Nike Pulls No Punches|Martin Fritz Huber|October 2, 2020|Outside Online
Knighted by the Queen—honorary knighthood by the Queen, I should say.
Rudy Giuliani on His 9/11 Bluff, the Museum Controversy and the Rise of ISIS|Josh Robin|September 11, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Over the mantelpiece, that was Henry Irving, the 19th-century actor-manager who was the first English actor to be knighted.
Spending a Day With Peter O’Toole|Malcolm Jones|December 16, 2013|DAILY BEAST
"You don't necessarily need a superior's approval anymore, or to be "knighted" by the fashion industry," she adds.
Fashion’s New Power Clique|Lauren Sherman|August 1, 2013|DAILY BEAST
She even knighted the boy, which seems like the best use of a royal honour we have ever heard of.
Helen Mirren Plays Part of Queen To Grant Boy's Dying Wish|Tom Sykes|May 20, 2013|DAILY BEAST
The first Jew to be knighted, he was also a close and trusted friend of Edward IV, as well as of Richard.
Unraveling King Richard III’s Secrets||February 13, 2013|DAILY BEAST
He was the most distinguished representative of the English school of composition, and was knighted in 1842.
The Every Day Book of History and Chronology|Joel Munsell
Littler later on was knighted, but is beyond all earthly honours now, and so are Pope, Pember and Blennerhassett.
Fifty Years of Railway Life in England, Scotland and Ireland|Joseph Tatlow
The best lance in the South Country dismounted, then mastered by a boy scarce knighted?
God Wills It!|William Stearns Davis
He gained his favour, was made a gentleman of the privy chamber and one of the king's carvers, and was knighted in 1607.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 4, Part 3|Various
When he returned again he was knighted and showered with honors by various scientific societies of England and France.
A History of the Nineteenth Century, Year by Year|Edwin Emerson

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

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