stab

[ stab ]

/ stæb /

Save This Word!

verb (used with object), stabbed, stab·bing.

to pierce or wound with or as if with a pointed weapon: She stabbed a piece of chicken with her fork.

to thrust, plunge, or jab (a knife, pointed weapon, or the like) into something: He stabbed the knife into the man's chest.

to penetrate sharply or painfully: Their misery stabbed his conscience.

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.

verb (used without object), stabbed, stab·bing.

to thrust with or as if with a knife or other pointed weapon: to stab at an attacker.

to deliver a wound, as with a pointed weapon.

noun

the act of stabbing.

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

an attempt; try; Make a stab at an answer before giving up.

a wound made by stabbing.

a sudden, brief, and usually painful, sensation: He felt a stab of pain in his foot.A stab of pity ran through her.

SYNONYMS FOR stab

1 spear, penetrate, pin, transfix.

See synonyms for stab on Thesaurus.com

QUIZZES

WERE YOU BAMBOOZLED BY THE WORDS FROM FEBRUARY?

We understand! Words are tricky that way. Take this quiz on the Words of the Day from February, 2021, to show that you’re far from frumious!

Question 1 of 10

Which Word of the Day means “happening within or being the created world of a story”?

diegetic

cheeseparing

parlous

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Idioms for stab

a stab in the back, an act of treachery.

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.

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

OTHER WORDS FROM stab

re·stab, verb, re·stabbed, re·stab·bing.un·stabbed, adjective

Definition for stab (2 of 2)

stab.

abbreviation

stabilization.

stabilizer.

stable.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021

Example sentences from the Web for stab

France 24 is providing live, round-the-clock coverage of both scenes as they progress.
LIVE Coverage of the Paris Terror Attacks||January 9, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Think back to the Bush-Kerry race of 2004, the Thrilla in Vanilla.
Jeb Bush’s Unseen Anti-Gay Marriage Emails|Jackie Kucinich|January 9, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Back in New York, the slow pace and inward focus of her yoga practice was less fulfilling.
How Taryn Toomey’s ‘The Class’ Became New York’s Latest Fitness Craze|Lizzie Crocker|January 9, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Music is a huge part of the tone of Black Dynamite overall—going back to the original 2009 movie on which the series is based.
‘Black Dynamite’ Presents Police Brutality: The Musical|Stereo Williams|January 9, 2015|DAILY BEAST

The al Qaeda-linked gunmen shot back, but only managed to injure one officer before they were taken out.
France Kills Charlie Hebdo Murderers|Nico Hines|January 9, 2015|DAILY BEAST
I waited three months more, in great impatience, then sent him back to the same post, to see if there might be a reply.
The Boarded-Up House|Augusta Huiell Seaman
Ages back—let musty geologists tell us how long ago—'twas a lake, larger than the Lake of Geneva.
Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, Volume 60, No. 372, October 1846|Various
The boys were tumbling about, clinging to his legs, imploring that numerous things be brought back to them.
The Awakening and Selected Short Stories|Kate Chopin
With a suffocating gasp, she fell back into the chair on which she sat, and covered her face with her hands.
The Pastor's Fire-side Vol. 3 of 4|Jane Porter
She was holding the back of her chair with one hand; her loose sleeve had slipped almost to the shoulder of her uplifted arm.
The Awakening and Selected Short Stories|Kate Chopin

British Dictionary definitions for stab

stab

/ (stæb) /

verb stabs, stabbing or stabbed

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

(tr) (of a sharp pointed instrument) to pierce or woundthe knife stabbed her hand

(when intr , often foll by at) to make a thrust (at); jabhe stabbed at the doorway

(tr) to inflict with a sharp pain

stab in the back

(verb) to do damage to the reputation of (a person, esp a friend) in a surreptitious way
(noun) a treacherous action or remark that causes the downfall of or injury to a person

noun

the act or an instance of stabbing

an injury or rift made by stabbing

a sudden sensation, esp an unpleasant onea stab of pity

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

Derived forms of stab

stabber, noun

Word Origin for stab

C14: from stabbe stab wound; probably related to Middle English stob stick

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

Idioms and Phrases with stab

stab

In addition to the idiom beginning with stab

stab in the back, a

also see:

make a stab at

MEANINGS

WORD GAMES

LEARN

WRITING

WORD OF THE DAY

stab

verb (used with object), stabbed, stab·bing.

verb (used without object), stabbed, stab·bing.

noun

SYNONYMS FOR stab