know-how
Americannoun
noun
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ingenuity, aptitude, or skill; knack
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commercial and saleable knowledge of how to do a particular thing; experience
Etymology
Origin of know-how
1830–40, noun use of verb phrase know how
Explanation
Know-how is the knowledge and skill needed to complete a task. Mechanics have a lot of know-how when it comes to cars. This folksy word pretty much defines itself: when you have know-how, you know how to do something. People pick up know-how in many ways. In school, you can gain know-how, especially in classes that are very practical. The best way to get know-how is through experience. For example, teachers may learn about teaching in school, but they won't have a lot of know-how till they've spent a few years in front of a class of students.
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.
Fernandez adds big-game know-how to City's midfield after winning the 2022 World Cup with Argentina, being named young player of the tournament, and helping his country to a second-straight final in July.
From BBC ● Sep. 1, 2026
"Only studies like ours offer an overview of these traditions which bear witness to genuine know-how and diverse traditions."
From Science Daily ● Aug. 21, 2026
Huettl said the Leapmotor partnership would combine German industrial know-how with the Chinese company's software expertise "to create the best of both worlds".
From Barron's ● Aug. 16, 2026
Throughout a career coaching club teams across Europe, he had established himself as one of soccer’s elite tacticians, and the Americans were willing to break the bank to bring that know-how aboard.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 3, 2026
But taking a researcher to court required money, know-how, and the knowledge that you were being used for research in the first place.
From "The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks" by Rebecca Skloot
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
