know-all

[ noh-awl ]

/ ˈnoʊˌɔl /

Save This Word!

noun Informal.

a know-it-all.

QUIZ

WILL YOU SAIL OR STUMBLE ON THESE GRAMMAR QUESTIONS?

Smoothly step over to these common grammar mistakes that trip many people up. Good luck!

Question 1 of 7

Fill in the blank: I can’t figure out _____ gave me this gift.

who

whom

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of know-all

First recorded in 1880–85

Words nearby know-all

knotweed, knotwork, knout, know, knowable, know-all, know all the answers, know a thing or two, know beans, know better, know by heart

How to use know-all in a sentence

But along with the cartoon funk is an all-too-real story of police brutality embodied by a horde of evil Pigs.
‘Black Dynamite’ Presents Police Brutality: The Musical|Stereo Williams|January 9, 2015|DAILY BEAST
I don't know why or who's doing it, but it's the legacy…and it's a legacy that is so important to the culture.
Phylicia Rashad and the Cult of Cosby Truthers|Stereo Williams|January 8, 2015|DAILY BEAST
The benefits of incumbency are quite potent, especially in the all-important area of raising campaign funds.
The Unbearable Whiteness of Congress|Dean Obeidallah|January 8, 2015|DAILY BEAST
They know they will face either a swift backlash or deafening silence.
Phylicia Rashad and the Cult of Cosby Truthers|Stereo Williams|January 8, 2015|DAILY BEAST

What they say is, ‘We don’t approve of violence, but you know what?
Bill Maher: Hundreds of Millions of Muslims Support Attack on ‘Charlie Hebdo’|Lloyd Grove|January 8, 2015|DAILY BEAST
She is quite true, but not wise, and your left hand must not know what your right hand is doing.
Checkmate|Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu
He came to the top of the stairs with a lamp in his hand, and wanted to know what the rumpus was about.
The Bondboy|George W. (George Washington) Ogden
It seems very strange that I shall actually know Liszt at last, after hearing of him so many years.
Music-Study in Germany|Amy Fay
Kind of a reception-room in there—guess I know a reception-room from a hole in the wall.
Boys and Girls Bookshelf; a Practical Plan of Character Building, Volume I (of 17)|Various
The policemen looked dull and heavy, as if never again would any one be criminal, and as if they had come to know it.
Bella Donna|Robert Hichens

British Dictionary definitions for know-all

know-all

noun

informal, derogatory a person who pretends or appears to know a great deal

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

know-all

Origin of know-all

Words nearby know-all

Words related to know-all

How to use know-all in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for know-all