knob

[nob]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR knob ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a projecting part, usually rounded, forming the handle of a door, drawer, or the like.

a rounded lump or protuberance on the surface or at the end of something, as a knot on a tree trunk.

Architecture. an ornamental boss, as of carved work.

a rounded hill, mountain, or elevation on a ridge.

verb (used with object), knobbed, knob·bing.

to produce a knob on.

to furnish with a knob.

(in stone cutting) to knock off (excess stone) preparatory to dressing; knobble; skiffle.

Origin of knob

1350–1400; Middle English knobbe < Middle Low German

Related formsknob·like, adjective

Can be confusedknob nob

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

Related Words for knob

lever, latch, doorknob, swell, protrusion, projection, bulge, swelling, hump, knot, snag, bulk, bump, tumor, stud, bunch, nub, protuberance, trigger, opener

Examples from the Web for knob

Contemporary Examples of knob

Then, after carefully replacing the knob, it could be left there undetected.
The High Society Bank Robber of the 1800s
J. North Conway
October 19, 2014
But it was still the place where Kandynce did not need eyesight to find a door or a drawer or a knob.
Killed by Donald Sterling’s Racism
Michael Daly
May 14, 2014
When Hank comes home and has a little sip of the Knob Creek--it was in that scene.
Dean Norris Deconstructs “Breaking Bad’s” Hank Schrader
Andrew Romano
September 2, 2013
Terrified, she and her son cried as the man tried to turn the knob of the door where they hid.
Zimmerman’s Twin Lakes Community Was on Edge Before Trayvon Shooting
Amy Green
March 28, 2012
The numbers back up what I heard at places like the Knob Creek Machine Gun Shoot.
The Real Power Behind the Tea Party
Will Bunch
September 13, 2010

Historical Examples of knob

There was no answer to his knock, and by trying the knob he found that she had locked herself in.
Way of the Lawless
Max Brand
He fumbled for the knob, and it turned with a grating sound.
Way of the Lawless
Max Brand
With his hand on the knob of the drawing-room door Austin paused and looked at him.
Viviette
William J. Locke
They stopped at the door, and some one fumbled noisily at the knob.
The Bacillus of Beauty
Harriet Stark
We had planned a trip to the Knob the next day, and were to camp out for the night.
The Underdog
F. Hopkinson Smith

British Dictionary definitions for knob

knob

noun

a rounded projection from a surface, such as a lump on a tree trunk

a handle of a door, drawer, etc, esp one that is rounded

a round hill or knoll or morainic ridge

British taboo a slang word for penis

and the same to you with knobs on or and the same to you with brass knobs on British informal the same to you but even more so

verb knobs, knobbing or knobbed

(tr) to supply or ornament with knobs

(intr) to form into a knob; bulge

British taboo to have sexual intercourse with (someone)

Derived Formsknobby, adjectiveknoblike, adjective

Word Origin for knob

C14: from Middle Low German knobbe knot in wood; see knop

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 knob

late 14c., knobe, probably from a Scandinavian or German source (cf. Middle Low German knobbe "knob," Middle Dutch cnoppe, Dutch knop, Old Frisian knopp, knapp, Old High German knopf, German Knopf "button," Old Norse knyfill "short horn"). Meaning "knoll, isolated round hill" is first recorded 1640s, especially in U.S.

knob in Science

knob

[nŏb]

A prominent, rounded hill or mountain.