knowledge

American  

[nol-ij] / ˈnɒl ɪdʒ /

noun

1. acquaintance with facts, truths, or principles, as from study or investigation; general erudition.

   knowledge of many things.

2. familiarity or conversance, as with a particular subject or branch of learning.

   A knowledge of accounting was necessary for the job.

3. acquaintance or familiarity gained by sight, experience, or report.

   a knowledge of human nature.

4. the fact or state of knowing; the perception of fact or truth; clear and certain mental apprehension.

   Synonyms:

   scholarship, erudition, comprehension, discernment, understanding

5. awareness, as of a fact or circumstance.

   He had knowledge of her good fortune.

6. something that is or may be known; information.

   He sought knowledge of her activities.

7. the body of truths or facts accumulated in the course of time.

8. the sum of what is known.

   Knowledge of the true situation is limited.

9. Archaic. sexual intercourse.

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adjective

1. creating, involving, using, or disseminating special knowledge or information.

   A computer expert can always find a good job in the knowledge industry.

idioms

1. to one's knowledge, according to the information available to one.

   To my knowledge he hasn't been here before.

knowledge British  

/ ˈnɒlɪdʒ /

noun

1. the facts, feelings or experiences known by a person or group of people

2. the state of knowing

3. awareness, consciousness, or familiarity gained by experience or learning

4. erudition or informed learning

5. specific information about a subject

6. sexual intercourse (obsolete except in the legal phrase carnal knowledge )

7. to become known to one

8. 1. as I understand it

   2. as I know

9. to behave in a presumptuous or conceited manner

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knowledge More Idioms  

1. see little knowledge is a dangerous thing; to the best of (one's knowledge).

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Related Words

See information.

Other Word Forms

• knowledgeless adjective
• preknowledge noun
• superknowledge noun

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."

Example Sentences

“Here we present Ace, to our knowledge the first real-world autonomous system competitive with elite human table tennis players,” the study said.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 23, 2026

Those with knowledge of Maresca's views, though, said he had grown unhappy at a multitude of factors, including encouragement over which players should start and which substitutions should be made during matches.

From BBC • Apr. 22, 2026

The rocket manufacturer said in a post on X late Tuesday that it had been working closely with AI coding start-up Cursor to “create the world’s best coding and knowledge work AI.”

From Barron's • Apr. 22, 2026

"This is a new state of matter that, to our knowledge, we are the first to describe."

From Science Daily • Apr. 22, 2026

Coins also add to our knowledge of the physical appearance and style of a certain place through engravings of landmarks and structures that often appear on them.

From "Shipwrecked!" by Martin W. Sandler

Related Words

• ability
• awareness
• education
• expertise
• familiarity
• grasp
• insight
• intelligence
• judgment
• know-how
• learning
• observation
• philosophy
• power
• proficiency
• recognition
• science
• theory
• wisdom