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• stab
  stab

  verb (used with object)

  to pierce or wound with or as if with a pointed weapon.
• stab.
  stab.

  abbreviation

  stabilization.

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

It became a viral sensation, spurring countless inspired products from Crumbl Cookies to Shake Shack desserts as well as major chocolate brands like Lindt and Godiva taking their own stab at the pistachio-filled confection.

From Salon • May 6, 2026

And let’s not forget John Mulaney’s stab at late-night experiment with the live series “Everybody’s in L.A.”

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 29, 2026

“A diary is an assassin’s cloak which we wear when we stab a comrade in the back with a pen,” wrote William Soutar, a Scottish poet and diarist, in 1934.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 6, 2026

I felt a stab of pain whenever I coughed or sneezed.

From Slate • Mar. 29, 2026

Uncle Chester had made a stab at it, but a halfhearted stab.

From "Hattie Big Sky" by Kirby Larson

Related Words

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