know-how
[ noh-hou ]
/ ˈnoʊˌhaʊ /
noun
knowledge of how to do something; faculty or skill for a particular activity; expertise: Designing a computer requires a lot of know-how.
QUIZZES
DISCOVER THE INFLUENCE OF PORTUGUESE ON ENGLISH VIA THIS QUIZ!
We’ve gathered some interesting words donated to English from Portuguese … as well as some that just don’t translate at all. Do you know what they mean?
Question 1 of 11
Which of the following animal names traces its immediate origin to Portuguese?
Origin of know-how
1830–40, Americanism; noun use of verb phrase know how
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021
Example sentences from the Web for know-how
It's part of a smart gambler's knowhow to drop a few credits deliberately now and then.
Starman's Quest|Robert SilverbergI only knowHow thoughts of you forever cling to me:I wonder how the seasons come and goBeyond the sapphire sea?
Pulpit and Press|Mary Baker Eddy
British Dictionary definitions for know-how
know-how
noun informal
ingenuity, aptitude, or skill; knack
commercial and saleable knowledge of how to do a particular thing; experience
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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