stab

¹ American  

[stab] / stæb /

verb (used with object)

stabbed, stabbing

1. to pierce or wound with or as if with a pointed weapon.

   She stabbed a piece of chicken with her fork.

   Synonyms:

   transfix, pin, penetrate, spear

2. to thrust, plunge, or jab (a knife, pointed weapon, or the like) into something.

   He stabbed the knife into the man's chest.

3. to penetrate sharply or painfully.

   Their misery stabbed his conscience.

4. to make a piercing, thrusting, or pointing motion at or in.

   He stabbed me in the chest with his finger.

   The speaker stabbed the air in anger.

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verb (used without object)

stabbed, stabbing

1. to thrust with or as if with a knife or other pointed weapon.

   to stab at an attacker.

2. to deliver a wound, as with a pointed weapon.

noun

1. the act of stabbing.

2. a thrust or blow with, or as if with, a pointed weapon.

3. an attempt; try;

   Make a stab at an answer before giving up.

4. a wound made by stabbing.

5. a sudden, brief, and usually painful, sensation.

   He felt a stab of pain in his foot.

   A stab of pity ran through her.

idioms

1. stab (someone) in the back, to do harm to (someone), especially to a friend or to a person who is unsuspecting or in a defenseless position.

2. a stab in the back, an act of treachery.

stab. ² American  

abbreviation

1. stabilization.

2. stabilizer.

3. stable.

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stab British  

/ stæb /

verb

1. (tr) to pierce or injure with a sharp pointed instrument

2. (tr) (of a sharp pointed instrument) to pierce or wound

   the knife stabbed her hand

3. to make a thrust (at); jab

   he stabbed at the doorway

4. (tr) to inflict with a sharp pain

5. 1. (verb) to do damage to the reputation of (a person, esp a friend) in a surreptitious way

   2. (noun) a treacherous action or remark that causes the downfall of or injury to a person

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noun

1. the act or an instance of stabbing

2. an injury or rift made by stabbing

3. a sudden sensation, esp an unpleasant one

   a stab of pity

4. informal an attempt (esp in the phrase make a stab at )

stab More Idioms  

More idioms and phrases containing stab

• make a stab at

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Other Word Forms

• restab verb
• stabber noun
• unstabbed adjective

Etymology

Origin of stab

First recorded in 1435–45 for the noun, and in 1525–35 for the verb; Middle English ( Scots ) noun stab, stabbe, stappe, of uncertain origin; compare Scots stob “needle, large needle”; verb from the noun

Explanation

To stab is to thrust or jab something sharp, the way you stab your sandwich with a toothpick or the way Brutus (and others) stab Julius Caesar in Shakespeare's play. You can stab at the soil in your garden with a trowel or stab the steak on your plate with a fork. You might then experience a stab (or sharp feeling) of regret, wondering if you should become a vegetarian. When you "take a stab at something," you attempt it: "I decided to take a stab at opera singing." Stab comes from the Scottish stob, "to pierce."

Example Sentences

Steve Sosnick, chief market strategist at Interactive Brokers, took a stab at answering that question in commentary shared with MarketWatch on Thursday.

From MarketWatch • Feb. 14, 2026

“She gets to be released on Valentine’s Day, which is another stab in the gut,” Montalvo said.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 12, 2026

But they don’t tell you that the time will come when you stare into the cupboard where the “Elmer the Elephant” plate used to be kept and feel a small but insistent stab of loss.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 1, 2026

BBC Sport takes a stab at some names that might be in contention to take up the City hotseat once Guardiola departs.

From BBC • Dec. 23, 2025

How her sister’s words could stab her sometimes!

From "The Birchbark House" by Louise Erdrich

Related Words

• hurt
• injure
• jab
• prick
• punch
• stick
• wound