knight
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.
to dub or make (a man) a knight.
Origin of knight
1Other words from knight
- knightless, adjective
- un·knight·ed, adjective
Words that may be confused with knight
- knight , night
Other definitions for Knight (2 of 2)
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
Is there more to U.S. involvement overseas than the fairy tale of knights saving fair maidens from dragons?
“We kind of knew early on that we had hit on something really unique,” Knights says.
Ginger discrimination—particularly among boys—is a real problem, says artist Thomas Knights.
The teasing is so common that is has been accepted as “the standard ginger bullying” by those who Knights has encountered.
As a kid, you'd admired pictures of knights in burnished suits of armor.
Whatever You Do Someone Will Die. A Short Story About Impossible Choices in Iraq | Nathan Bradley Bethea | August 31, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
“Take no thought for the morrow” was a maxim dear to the heart of these knights of the pen.
Fifty Years of Railway Life in England, Scotland and Ireland | Joseph TatlowSir William was arrested at Berwick, with 360 squires in his livery (says Barbour), to say nothing of 'joly' knights.
King Robert the Bruce | A. F. MurisonThe hero of the adventure does not compete with any number of knights, but is each day confronted with a chosen champion.
The Three Days' Tournament | Jessie L. WestonA conspiracy discovered at Malta against the knights; 125 slaves suffered death.
The Every Day Book of History and Chronology | Joel MunsellLegends accumulate here around the persons of Arthur and his knights.
The Towns of Roman Britain | James Oliver Bevan
British Dictionary definitions for knight (1 of 2)
/ (naɪt) /
(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
(tr) to make (a person) a knight; dub
Origin of knight
1British Dictionary definitions for Knight (2 of 2)
/ (naɪt) /
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
A mounted warrior in Europe in the Middle Ages. (See chivalry.)
Notes for knight
The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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