stab

¹

[stab]

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.

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.

stab.

²

abbreviation

1. stabilization.

2. stabilizer.

3. stable.

stab

/ 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

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 )

Other Word Forms

• stabber noun
• restab verb
• unstabbed adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of stab¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of stab¹

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

Idioms and Phrases

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.

More idioms and phrases containing stab

• make a stab at

Example Sentences

In 2010, while at his home in Johannesburg, he was stabbed by intruders, then tied up and interrogated.

From BBC

An asylum seeker who was shot and killed after stabbing six people at a hotel had made threats 24 hours before the incident, a hearing has been told.

From BBC

Los Angeles police are searching for a man suspected of stabbing and wounding another man during a confrontation aboard a Metro bus Saturday on the city’s south side.

From Los Angeles Times

Three of the prison officers – two men and a woman – were taken to hospital, two with stab wounds, after the attack at HMP Frankland in County Durham.

From BBC

"Human beings are to blame. Guns don't shoot people, people pull the trigger. Knives don't stab people. It is the intent of the people who go on to social media," he said.

From BBC

Related Words

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