knowledge
Americannoun
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acquaintance with facts, truths, or principles, as from study or investigation; general erudition.
knowledge of many things.
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familiarity or conversance, as with a particular subject or branch of learning.
A knowledge of accounting was necessary for the job.
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acquaintance or familiarity gained by sight, experience, or report.
a knowledge of human nature.
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the fact or state of knowing; the perception of fact or truth; clear and certain mental apprehension.
- Synonyms:
- scholarship, erudition, comprehension, discernment, understanding
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awareness, as of a fact or circumstance.
He had knowledge of her good fortune.
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something that is or may be known; information.
He sought knowledge of her activities.
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the body of truths or facts accumulated in the course of time.
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the sum of what is known.
Knowledge of the true situation is limited.
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Archaic. sexual intercourse.
adjective
idioms
noun
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the facts, feelings or experiences known by a person or group of people
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the state of knowing
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awareness, consciousness, or familiarity gained by experience or learning
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erudition or informed learning
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specific information about a subject
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sexual intercourse (obsolete except in the legal phrase carnal knowledge )
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to become known to one
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as I understand it
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as I know
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to behave in a presumptuous or conceited manner
Synonym Usage
See information.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of knowledge
First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English knouleche, equivalent to know(en) “to know” + -leche, perhaps akin to Old English -lāc suffix denoting action or practice, cognate with Old Norse (-)leikr; see know 1; cf. wedlock
Explanation
Why do you go to school? For knowledge, of course. To have knowledge means to know or be aware of things. Knowledge is understanding gained through learning or experience. You read a recipe to gain knowledge about baking rhubarb pie. When it burns in the oven, experience gives you the knowledge that you need to stop doing three things at once. Fields like biology, math, art, medicine, and others have huge bodies of knowledge. Knowledge can mean information and also deeper understanding. You can use this word as a disclaimer too, as in "To my knowledge, my sister walked the dog."
Vocabulary lists containing knowledge
Commonly Misspelled Words, List 4
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President Obama's second inaugural address
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"A Contest of Riddles"
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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.
But to my knowledge, and to Ali’s, there has been no public explanation for recommending a no vote.
From Los Angeles Times • May 29, 2026
That can create tempting opportunities for people with nonpublic knowledge to make profitable bets at the expense of less-informed traders.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 28, 2026
Sturgeon, who is in Ireland to promote her memoir, has consistently denied any knowledge of Murrell's crimes and was not charged after a police investigation.
From BBC • May 28, 2026
For example, Leo points out that the private companies who’ve monopolized control over and knowledge of A.I. are given to “technocratic thinking” that “tends to amplify the power of those who already possess economic resources.”
From Slate • May 28, 2026
Coins are, in fact, so important to our knowledge of what has gone on before us that they have been called both “newspapers in metal” and “miniature libraries of history.”
From "Shipwrecked!" by Martin W. Sandler
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.
