knives

[nahyvz]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR knives ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

plural of knife.

Nearby words

knife

[nahyf]

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.

Origin of knife

before 1100; Middle English knif, Old English cnīf; cognate with Dutch knijf, German Kneif, Old Norse knīfr

Related formsknife·like, adjectiveknif·er, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for knives

Bill, full name William Poole, was a real life butcher, skilled with knives and raised in the art of street fighting.
Brooklyn’s Gangster Graveyard|Nina Strochlic|October 23, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Men with knives had abducted members of a group sent there to spread awareness about the disease.
The Fear That Killed Eight Ebola Workers|Abby Haglage|September 20, 2014|DAILY BEAST
An angry mob brandishing machetes, stones, and knives lashed out.
The Fear That Killed Eight Ebola Workers|Abby Haglage|September 20, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Some had knives pressed against their throats for what seemed like an hour.
Abducted, Tortured, Indoctrinated: The Tale of a Teen Who Escaped ISIS|Yusuf Sayman|August 4, 2014|DAILY BEAST

Dark night, flames from barrels, we are not sad, we are sharpening our knives.
Ukraine Separatists' Pro-Putin Raps|Oleg Shynkarenko|June 23, 2014|DAILY BEAST
He has been accused of a positive gusto for knives and bayonets, for redly dripping steel and spattered flesh.
Rudyard Kipling|John Palmer
Knives are referred to in the Bible as the implements for slaying sacrifices (Gen. 22:6, 10), and in various other connections.
Archology and the Bible|George A. Barton
I shudder when I see them brandish their knives in act to carve, and look on them as savages that devour one another.
Hours in a Library, Volume I. (of III.)|Leslie Stephen
They told us, they had never seen the like before, and that our Knives cut far better than those that came amongst the Indians.
A New Voyage to Carolina|John Lawson
Then he dived into the van, to reappear immediately with plates and knives and enough cups and saucers.
A Gallant Grenadier|F.S. Brereton

British Dictionary definitions for knives

knives

noun

the plural of knife

knife

noun plural knives (naɪvz)

a cutting instrument consisting of a sharp-edged often pointed blade of metal fitted into a handle or onto a machine

a similar instrument used as a weapon

have one's knife in someone to have a grudge against or victimize someone

twist the knife to make a bad situation worse in a deliberately malicious way

the knives are out for someone British people are determined to harm or put a stop to someonethe knives are out for Stevens

under the knife undergoing a surgical operation

verb (tr)

to cut, stab, or kill with a knife

to betray, injure, or depose in an underhand way

Derived Formsknifelike, adjectiveknifer, noun

Word 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 Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for knives

knife

late Old English cnif, probably from Old Norse knifr, from Proto-Germanic *knibaz (cf. Middle Low German knif, Middle Dutch cnijf, German kneif), of uncertain origin. To further confuse the etymology, there also are forms in -p-, e.g. Dutch knijp, German kneip. French canif "penknife" (mid-15c.) is borrowed from Middle English or Norse.

knife

1865, from knife (n.). Related: Knifed; knifing.

Idioms and Phrases with knives

knife

see at gunpoint (knifepoint); under the knife; you could cut it with a knife.

knives

noun

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RELATED WORDS

Nearby words

knife

noun, plural knives [nahyvz] /naɪvz/.

verb (used with object), knifed, knif·ing.

verb (used without object), knifed, knif·ing.

Origin of knife

Examples from the Web for knives

knives

noun

knife

noun plural knives (naɪvz)

verb (tr)

Word Origin for knife

knife

knife

knife