know

[ noh ]

/ noʊ /

Save This Word!

See synonyms for: know / knew / knowing / known on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object), knew, known, know·ing.

to perceive or understand as fact or truth; to apprehend clearly and with certainty: I know the situation fully.

to have established or fixed in the mind or memory: to know a poem by heart; Do you know the way to the park from here?

to be cognizant or aware of: I know it.

be acquainted with (a thing, place, person, etc.), as by sight, experience, or report: to know the mayor.

to understand from experience or attainment (usually followed by how before an infinitive): to know how to make gingerbread.

to be able to distinguish, as one from another: to know right from wrong.

Archaic. to have sexual intercourse with.

verb (used without object), knew, known, know·ing.

to have knowledge or clear and certain perception, as of fact or truth.

to be cognizant or aware, as of some fact, circumstance, or occurrence; have information, as about something.

noun

the fact or state of knowing; knowledge.

QUIZ

SHALL WE PLAY A "SHALL" VS. "SHOULD" CHALLENGE?

Should you take this quiz on “shall” versus “should”? It should prove to be a quick challenge!

Question 1 of 6

Which form is used to state an obligation or duty someone has?

shall

should

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Idioms about know

in the know, possessing inside, secret, or special information.

know the ropes, Informal. to understand or be familiar with the particulars of a subject or business: He knew the ropes better than anyone else in politics.

Origin of know

First recorded before 900; Middle English knowen, knawen, Old English gecnāwan; cognate with Old High German -cnāhan, Old Norse knā “to know how, be able to”; akin to Latin (g)nōvī, Greek gignṓskein. See gnostic, can¹

OTHER WORDS FROM know

knower, noun

Other definitions for know (2 of 2)

know²

[ noh, nou ]

/ noʊ, naʊ /

noun Scot. and North England.

knoll¹.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use know in a sentence

Skiers in the know have relied on Hestra gloves for decades.
The Gear We Relied On for Our 2020 Ski Test|Marc Peruzzi|October 15, 2020|Outside Online
Shenandoah Mountain Guides offers guided trips if you want to go with pros in the know.
The Ultimate Shenandoah National Park Travel Guide|Graham Averill|October 7, 2020|Outside Online
We found that by using known interventions more widely, things like adopting healthy behaviors, expanding access to primary care, and improved adherence to medication, the global disease burden could be reduced by 40% over the next two decades.
Good health is good business. Here’s why.|Andrew Nusca|July 8, 2020|Fortune
The duopoly has access to millions of user-submitted videos, allowing them to recommend relevant videos on a user-by-user basis, a practice known as discovery.
Level the Playing Field: 5 Questions to Ask Your Video Strategist|Primis|July 7, 2020|Digiday

You can see how the illusion of explanatory depth could be helpful in some scenarios — you don’t need to know everything for yourself, as long as you know someone who knows someone who knows something.
How to Change Your Mind (Ep. 379)|Stephen J. Dubner|May 30, 2019|Freakonomics
In Intelligence the knower, the known, and science are one and the same thing; and with everything else within it.
Plotinos: Complete Works, v. 3|Plotinos (Plotinus)
Moreover the thing known by perception is by this hypothesis in relation to a knower, while the physical cause is not.
Essays in Experimental Logic|John Dewey
Captain Dantoine, a passionate admirer and knower of music; plays the violin and the clavier a little.
The Life of Ludwig van Beethoven, Volume I (of 3)|Alexander Wheelock Thayer
There is one who is the knower, the subject, the ego, the perceiver.
The Inner Consciousness|Swami Prakashananda
The one is the builder, the other is the material; the one the knower and the other the known.
The Mystery of Space|Robert T. Browne

British Dictionary definitions for know

know

/ (nəʊ) /

verb knows, knowing, knew (njuː) or known (nəʊn) (mainly tr)

(also intr; may take a clause as object) to be or feel certain of the truth or accuracy of (a fact, etc)

to be acquainted or familiar withshe's known him five years

to have a familiarity or grasp of, as through study or experiencehe knows French

(also intr; may take a clause as object) to understand, be aware of, or perceive (facts, etc)he knows the answer now

(foll by how) to be sure or aware of (how to be or do something)

to experience, esp deeplyto know poverty

to be intelligent, informed, or sensible enough (to do something)she knew not to go home yet

(may take a clause as object) to be able to distinguish or discriminate

archaic to have sexual intercourse with

I know what I have an idea

know what's what to know how one thing or things in general work

you know informal a parenthetical filler phrase used to make a pause in speaking or add slight emphasis to a statement

you never know things are uncertain

noun

in the know informal aware or informed

Derived forms of know

knowable, adjectiveknower, noun

Word Origin for know

Old English gecnāwan; related to Old Norse knā I can, Latin noscere to come to know

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

Other Idioms and Phrases with know

know

In addition to the idioms beginning with know

know all the answers
know a thing or two
know beans
know better
know by heart
know by sight
know enough to come in out of the rain
know from Adam
know if one is coming or going
know it all
know like a book
know one's own mind
know one's place
know one's stuff
know one's way around
know only too well
know the ropes
know the score
know where one stands
know which side of one's bread is buttered

also see:

before you know it
(know) by heart
come in out of the rain, know enough to
coming or going, know if one's
for all (I know)
god knows
(know) inside out
in the know
it takes one to know one
left hand doesn't know what right hand is doing
not know beans
not know from Adam
not know where to turn
not know which way to jump
thing or two, know
what do you know
what have you (who knows what)
which is which, know
you know

know

Idioms about know

Origin of know

OTHER WORDS FROM know

Other definitions for know (2 of 2)

Words related to know

How to use know in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for know

Derived forms of know

Word Origin for know

Other Idioms and Phrases with know