pocketknife

[ pok-it-nahyf ]

/ ˈpɒk ɪtˌnaɪf /

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noun, plural pock·et·knives.

a knife with one or more blades that fold into the handle, suitable for carrying in the pocket.

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Origin of pocketknife

First recorded in 1720–30; pocket + knife

Words nearby pocketknife

pocket edition, pocketful, pocket gopher, pocket-handkerchief, pocketing, pocketknife, pocket money, pocket mouse, pocket park, pocket piece, pocket secretary

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use pocketknife in a sentence

As he sits on the ground with a skinned-up knee to cut chunks of cheese and salami with his pocketknife, he looks content.
Can a hunter outrun an antelope? This ultra-marathoner is finding out.|By Christine Peterson/Outdoor Life|November 23, 2020|Popular-Science
The location, design, and quality of that clip should therefore be considered primary factors in choosing a pocketknife.
Three Questions to Ask Yourself Before Buying a Knife|Wes Siler|September 3, 2020|Outside Online
I perform a quick one on my most frequently carried pocketknife at least once a week.
Three Questions to Ask Yourself Before Buying a Knife|Wes Siler|September 3, 2020|Outside Online
It took heroin addiction a year and nine months to take me from my desk at a literary agency to hold ups with a pocketknife.
Patted Down by India’s Hugging Saint|Daniel Genis|July 20, 2014|DAILY BEAST

He then allegedly grabbed a pocketknife and told her he would “execute your kids” if she called the police.
Erbie Bowser: A ‘Gentle Giant’ Who Snapped|Christine Pelisek|August 9, 2013|DAILY BEAST
His pocketknife was a serviceable one and he had plenty of physical strength.
The Highgrader|William MacLeod Raine
With his pocketknife Kilmeny cut the string that tied the sack.
The Highgrader|William MacLeod Raine
He opened his pocketknife and thrust it between the twelfth and thirteenth stones.
The Extraordinary Adventures of Arsene Lupin, Gentleman-Burglar|Maurice Leblanc
Feldman operated with a pocketknife sterilized in a bottle of expensive Scotch and only anodyne tablets in place of anesthesia.
Badge of Infamy|Lester del Rey
There are a few little gifts,—a pocketknife and a kitchen set of knife, fork, and can-opener for Olson.
Wilderness, A Journal of Quiet Adventure in Alaska|Rockwell Kent

British Dictionary definitions for pocketknife

pocketknife

/ (ˈpɒkɪtˌnaɪf) /

noun plural -knives

a small knife with one or more blades that fold into the handle; penknife

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

pocketknife

Origin of pocketknife

Words nearby pocketknife

Words related to pocketknife

How to use pocketknife in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for pocketknife