knife Definition
knife (nīf)
noun pl. knives
- a cutting or stabbing instrument with a sharp blade, single-edged or double-edged, set in a handle
- a cutting blade, as in a machine
Etymology: ME knif < OE cnif, akin to Ger kneif, ON knīfr < IE *gneibh- (> Lith gnaibis, a pinching): for base see knead
transitive verb knifed, knif′·ing
- to cut or stab with a knife
- ☆ Informal to use underhanded methods in order to hurt, defeat, or betray
intransitive verb
to pass into or through something quickly, like a sharp knife
knife Related Forms
knife Idioms
under the knife
☆Informal undergoing surgery
knife Synonyms
knife
n.
Kinds of knives include: carving, chef's, paring, chopping, table, dinner, breakfast, dessert, grapefruit, fish, pocket, clasp, hunting, Bowie, corn, cane, butcher, skinning, surgical, paper, pruning, oyster, putty, palette, ferrule, bread, butter, cake, wood carver's, molding, paper hanger's, miter, excelsior, stiletto, jackknife, switchblade, Boy Scout, Swiss Army, Buck.
knife Synonyms
knife
v.
knife Usage Examples
Possessives
butcher: What grand memories of chopping the huge lumps of coal with a butcher's knife.
Converse of object
- carve: A carving knife, for example, is a piece of cutlery.
- sharpen: Men were sharpening knives ( an action, somehow, which put me in mind of French housewives cutting bread ).
- brandish: Brandishing a large knife, he demanded cash, then escaped on the pedal bike.
- wield: At least four men wearing hooded tops and wielding a knife entered Ladbrokes on Banbury Road, Oxford, on Friday.
- carry: I will ask him never to carry a knife.
Adjective modifier
- sharp: Then with a sharp knife cut smaller squares off with the blade at an angle.
- blunt: Finish chopping the onion, with a blunt knife.
- bladed: For crispy crackling every time, score the rind well using a sharp, small bladed craft knife.
- serrated: Pull the segments apart and slice each thinly with the serrated knife, putting the pips in the cloth.
- Swiss: Its known as the programmer's swiss army knife.
Modifies a noun
- amnesty: Figures out for the first week of the knife amnesty show a good result.
- sharpener: Prolog: My leg is my sketchpad and my arm is a knife sharpener.
- blade: As if every word wounded like a knife blade into her flesh.
Noun used with modifier
- palette: Using the palette knife spread icing onto the sides.
- stanley: Cut a small slit into each ball about 2cm long using a stanley knife or similar sharp blade.
- gamma: Treatments were then discussed, the choice of surgery or gamma knife.
- Bowie: Powell slashed him with his bowie knife before leaping onto Seward's bed and repeatedly stabbed him.
- sheath: The safe usage of cutting tools including a sheath knife which you will keep.
- flick: The band name was taken from the name of Williams ' flick knife!
Browse dictionary entries near knife
- ‹ knickknack
- ‹ knickers
- ‹ Knickerbocker
- ‹ knew
- ‹ Knesset
- ‹ knelt
- ‹ knell
- ‹ kneesies
- ‹ kneepiece
- ‹ kneepad

