shiv
Americannoun
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a knife, especially a switchblade.
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Also called shank. an improvised or homemade weapon for cutting or stabbing, especially one honed by a prison inmate or used by a criminal.
verb (used with object)
noun
Usage
What does shiv mean? A shiv is a slang term for a knife, especially a switchblade. It is most often used to refer to improvised blades made in prison and the act of stabbing (shivving) fellow inmates or guards with them.
Etymology
Origin of shiv
First recorded in 1665–75; perhaps alteration of Romani chiv “blade”
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.
A headline in the Los Angeles Times strove to be diplomatic—or at least deliver the shiv elegantly: “Paramount settlement is less than desired, more than nothing.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 22, 2026
Strong gusts distort people’s celebratory cries of “Jai mata di” and “Jai shiv shankar.”
From Seattle Times ● Apr. 27, 2024
Sharp as a shiv but wickedly playful, Nick Harkaway's near-future noir sends Cal Sounder, an all too human detective, into the realm of literal giants.
From Scientific American ● May 31, 2023
Volkswagen favored the switchblade key, which slid out of the fob like a shiv.
From New York Times ● Nov. 25, 2021
The reader has become a willing victim, following her along, but finally she thrusts a metaphorical shiv: She did find love, near-perfect love, and it scared her nearly to death.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 16, 2020
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
