knife

[nahyf]

noun

plural

knives 

1. an instrument for cutting, consisting essentially of a thin, sharp-edged, metal blade fitted with a handle.

2. a knifelike weapon; dagger or short sword.

3. any blade for cutting, as in a tool or machine.

verb (used with object)

knifed, knifing 

1. to apply a knife to; cut, stab, etc., with a knife.

2. to attempt to defeat or undermine in a secret or underhanded way.

verb (used without object)

knifed, knifing 

1. to move or cleave through something with or as if with a knife.

   The ship knifed through the heavy seas.

knife

/ naɪf /

noun

1. a cutting instrument consisting of a sharp-edged often pointed blade of metal fitted into a handle or onto a machine

2. a similar instrument used as a weapon

3. to have a grudge against or victimize someone

4. to make a bad situation worse in a deliberately malicious way

5. people are determined to harm or put a stop to someone

   the knives are out for Stevens

6. undergoing a surgical operation

verb

1. to cut, stab, or kill with a knife

2. to betray, injure, or depose in an underhand way

Other Word Forms

• knifelike adjective
• knifer noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of knife¹

before 1100; Middle English knif, Old English cnīf; cognate with Dutch knijf, German Kneif, Old Norse knīfr

Word History and Origins

Origin of knife¹

Old English cnīf; related to Old Norse knīfr, Middle Low German knīf

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. under the knife, in surgery; undergoing a medical operation.

   The patient was under the knife for four hours.

see at gunpoint (knifepoint); under the knife; you could cut it with a knife.

Example Sentences

The hearing at Liverpool Town Hall also heard questions raised about whether the parents of killer Axel Rudakubana had been neglectful in allowing him to buy knives prior to the killings, on 29 July 2024.

From BBC

Following the shooting, Mr Smith went into a fish and chip shop and pulled out his gun to demand a knife on his journey to the bridge, Det Sgt Dolby told the inquest.

From BBC

The parents of a 15-year-old boy who was stabbed to death have said they will "not allow his name to be known as yet another statistic in the rise of knife crime".

From BBC

He was expelled from mainstream education in October that year after admitting he had taken a knife to school because he "wanted to kill a bully".

From BBC

The annual event explores issues affecting teenagers, from smartphones to social media and knife crime to misinformation.

From BBC

Related Words

• bayonet 
• blade 
• cutter 
• dagger 
• machete 
• scalpel 
• sickle 
• skewer 
• sword