knob
Americannoun
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knobs
plural
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a projecting part, usually rounded, forming the handle of a door, drawer, or the like.
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a rounded lump or protuberance on the surface or at the end of something, as a knot on a tree trunk.
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Architecture. an ornamental boss, as of carved work.
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a rounded hill, mountain, or elevation on a ridge.
verb (used with object)
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to produce a knob on.
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to furnish with a knob.
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(in stone cutting) to knock off (excess stone) preparatory to dressing; knobble; skiffle.
noun
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a rounded projection from a surface, such as a lump on a tree trunk
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a handle of a door, drawer, etc, esp one that is rounded
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a round hill or knoll or morainic ridge
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taboo a slang word for penis
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informal the same to you but even more so
verb
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(tr) to supply or ornament with knobs
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(intr) to form into a knob; bulge
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taboo to have sexual intercourse with (someone)
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of knob
1350–1400; Middle English knobbe < Middle Low German
Explanation
You can use the word knob for any bump or bulge, like the egg-shaped knob on your head after you bumped it on the door knob. Along the same likes as a bulging lump or protuberance, a knob is also a handle that juts out and is round shaped. The knobs on your dresser might be glass or porcelain, while the knobs on your kitchen cabinets could be made of chrome. There are also the knobs, or controls, on your old fashioned TV or radio, and the knob that's basically a lump or hunk, like a knob of butter.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
The shorter man jerked the knob, but the safe didn’t open.
From Slate ● Sep. 17, 2026
And it is proper: a leather-stitched, handball-sized shift knob, ever shivering with engine revs, the short throws between gears landing in oiled, notchy slots.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 23, 2026
"This means that phosphate scarcity is the primary control knob for methane production and emissions in the open ocean," Weber says.
From Science Daily ● Apr. 16, 2026
The show inspired optimism, yes, but it certainly didn’t turn the dial so decisively toward radical hope that the knob broke off.
From Salon ● Mar. 16, 2026
She looked skeptical, but instead of questioning me further, she pointed with the knob of her kierie.
From "Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky" by Kwame Mbalia
The analysis revealed that these genetic "volume knobs" were already present in Neanderthals and may have been even slightly more pronounced than they are in modern humans.
From Science Daily ● Jun. 12, 2026
There is a traditional steering wheel, knobs and levers, while the screens consist of so-called organic light-emitting diodes, which don’t require backlighting, to create a more analog feel.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 25, 2026
For the hardware, the couple will be replacing the existing silver-toned metal with gold, including new faucets, new drawer handles, and new knobs for the cupboards.
From MarketWatch ● Apr. 8, 2026
This was New Zealand being New Zealand with knobs on.
From BBC ● Nov. 8, 2025
He ran his fingers along the face of it, the knobs like eyes, the row of buttons—play, stop, rewind, pause, fast-forward, eject—like teeth.
From "As Brave As You" by Jason Reynolds
You’ll discover the fancifully striped Red St. Lawrence from Maine, the sleek Arkansas Black, the ruby Hidden Rose from Oregon, the pearly Yellow Transparent from Russia and several tortured knobbed russets from Sussex, England.
From New York Times ● Oct. 4, 2021
The knobbed Schwalbes are surprisingly quiet on city roads while offering decent grip on trails — but not as much as you’d get from proper mountain bike tires.
From The Verge ● May 17, 2019
The knobbed ends keep flopping over, needing frequent fixing.
From Seattle Times ● Dec. 9, 2016
Vanessa Torres isn't intimidated by knobbed rails or stylish headgear.
From Time Magazine Archive
Following closely behind them perhaps there would have strode a professional pilgrim, supporting himself on a stout knobbed staff shod like an alpenstock and weighed down with blessed medals, relics, shells, vernicles and so forth.
From "The Once and Future King" by T. H. White
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
