Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com
Synonyms

knout

American  
[naut] / naʊt /

noun

  1. a whip with a lash of leather thongs, formerly used in Russia for flogging criminals.


verb (used with object)

  1. to flog with the knout.

knout British  
/ naʊt /

noun

  1. a stout whip used formerly in Russia as an instrument of punishment

"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

Etymology

Origin of knout

1710–20; < French < Russian knut, Old Russian < Old Norse knūtr knot


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:

Moscow's long-suffering moviegoers glowed vindictively: the managers of the city's neighborhood moviehouses were at last writhing under the official knout.

From Time Magazine Archive

The new, obnoxiously corporate-modeled, self-franchising Guggenheim may run on laptops, but what it really needs is an editorial pencil -- if not a knout.

From Time Magazine Archive

The feat for which the National Committee commended him proved him to be a very knout and bastinado.

From Time Magazine Archive

A ridiculous effigy of the Tsar with a knout in his hand now occupied the symbolic position and dominated the scene.

From The Practice and Theory of Bolshevism by Bertrand Russell

George Darling started, and the knout fell from his hand.

From Little Oskaloo or, The White Whirlwind by Thomas Chalmers Harbaugh

Random Word

Spin the wheel and learn a new word!

Get a word


Vocabulary.com logo
by dictionary.com

Just like flashcards, but way more fun

Don't take our word for it. Leave the boring studying behind and join VocabTrainer today. You'll learn even faster and never look back.

Take me to Vocabulary.com