stab.

¹ American  

abbreviation

1. stabilization.

2. stabilizer.

3. stable.

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stab ² 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 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

Example Sentences

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

Suriname is among nations with the lowest rates of stabbing deaths, making incidents such as this one relatively rare.

From BBC

Then she took a stab at community college, but the stress of balancing full-time work with school made it difficult for her to finish.

From MarketWatch

Then she took a stab at community college, but the stress of balancing full-time work with school made it difficult for her to finish.

From MarketWatch

This week, Taylor Swift talked about the Southport stabbing attack, King Charles shared good news about his cancer treatment, and a couple from Wales won a second million-pound lottery jackpot.

From BBC

Related Words

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