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to knife

to knife

19 7.1
To cut or hurt someone with a sharp blade
  • verb
  • /naɪf/
  • NSFW
: apuñalar a
  • How do I know you're not going to knife me when my back's turned?
  • get knifed
  • knife a guy
  • knifed to death

Examples

  • In December 2007, another priest was knifed by a teenager as he left his church following Sunday mass.

    Academic text (2011)
  • So the brother was willing to knife his brother over this issue.

    Fiction book (1990)
  • You used it to knife your mother in the back?

  • Turns out he knifed some woman and her kid.

  • Some people take a dislike to someone and order him knifed for no good reason.

    Blog text (6)
  • The attacker knifed the victim during the altercation.

  • After a heated argument, he knifed his rival in the street.

  • The news reported that a man knifed another after a dispute.

Synonyms

to stab
vsto knife
  • NSFW
628 2.7

To push a sharp pointed object into a person or animal

focuses on causing a wound by using a handheld cutting blade
to chop
vsto knife
324 1.0

To cut something into pieces using a sharp tool like a knife or axe

describes piercing or wounding by a thrusting action rather than chopping
to slash
vsto knife
80 3.0

To cut forcefully with a knife or sharp tool

involves piercing or wounding by thrusting rather than making long cuts
to cut up
vsto knife
67 4.1

Cause serious harm to people or things with a sharp object

focuses on a single stabbing action that creates a deep wound
to wound
vsto knife
12 2.3

To cut or hurt someone's body physically

specifies causing such injury by using a handheld sharp blade to stab
to spear
vsto knife
8 4.9

To pierce something with a long sharp point like a stick or fork

describes similar piercing harm but with a short handheld cutting blade
to dagger
vsto knife
  • NSFW
3 7.9

To stab someone with a short pointed knife

refers to causing a wound specifically using a small handheld blade
to bayonet
vsto knife
  • NSFW
2 9.3

To stab someone with a blade fixed to a rifle

describes the same thrusting harm but with a small civilian blade instead
to nife
vsto knife
  • NSFW
9.9

To cut or stab someone with a small blade

is the modern expression for injuring by stabbing with a small weapon

Idioms

A situation that could easily end well or badly

Not very quick to understand things

1 9.4

Say or do something on purpose to hurt someone who is already in trouble

1 8.9

A hurtful comment or action that makes someone feel worse after bad news

Be badly prepared for a situation where others have much better tools

hurt your knife
  • Informal
1 9.9

A mocking question you ask after someone betrays you to show anger

1 7.5

Fails to make a strong point because it is dull and weak

It happens very quickly

Phrasal Verbs

To cut food into pieces with a knife

Compounds

20 3.2

A large sharp knife used for cutting meat

19 1.4

A small sharp knife with a serrated or straight edge used to cut cooked meat at the table

A small folding tool with blades and screwdrivers that people use to mean a person with many skills

16 7.4

A violent attack between people using knives to hurt each other

13 2.2

A small folding tool with a metal blade that fits into its handle and into a pocket

11 2.8

A large sharp knife used by hunters to cut meat and skin animals

11 1.0

A small dull tool with a rounded blade for spreading butter

A large sharp knife used to slice cooked meat

6 3.2

A small sharp knife for peeling and trimming fruit and vegetables

5 7.5

A very unstable situation that can quickly become much worse or better after a small change

4 1.0

The flat sharp part of a knife used for cutting

3 7.7

A large hunting knife with a wide blade and a guard between blade and handle

3 1.7

A long knife with a saw-like edge used for cutting bread

2 4.5

A small table knife with a wide flat blade used for eating fish

2 5.3

A flat tool with a thin blade used to spread or scrape soft material like putty

2 1.5

A small tool with a thin blade for cutting cheese

A small folding knife that opens by itself when a button is pressed

1 3.9

The sharp side of a knife that cuts things

1 1.0

A blunt tool used to cut and spread food at the table

A thin flat tool artists use to mix and spread oil paint on a palette or canvas

1 4.6

A crime where someone uses a knife to hurt or kill another person

A person who throws knives at targets as part of a show

1 7.5

A strong stab with a knife into someone's body

A small knife with a short stiff blade and curved point for cutting linoleum

trench knife
  • Archaic
1 9.0

A knife with two sharp edges made for close fighting in trenches

A large heavy knife for chopping meat and vegetables

1 4.4

A small sharp knife for opening envelopes or cutting closed book pages

1 5.1

A knife with a fixed blade that you carry in a protective cover

1 5.9

A knife with a rounded end used for spreading butter and eating soft foods

clasp knife
  • Archaic
1 6.4

A large folding knife with blades that fold into the handle

hobby knife
  • Specialized
1 3.8

A small sharp tool with a replaceable blade that you use in crafts for precise cutting

surgical knife
  • Specialized
1 3.8

A very sharp knife a doctor uses in an operation to cut parts of the body

1 7.8

A small folding knife with a long oval handle and one strong blade

1 8.1

A small folding knife whose blade opens quickly when you press a button

A small tool with a curved blade for cutting and trimming plants

1 7.6

A small knife with a fixed blade carried in a sheath

1 7.0

A large pocket knife with a blade that folds and locks

knife pleat
  • Specialized
1 6.3

A narrow fold in cloth pressed flat in one direction, often used in skirts

1 8.1

A small folding knife with a blade that opens quickly when you press a button

bolo knife
  • Philippine
1 7.9

A long heavy tool with one sharp edge used for cutting plants and wood

4.9

A large heavy knife with a wide blade for cutting meat and vegetables

A tropical bean plant with red flowers that grows black beans with white spots you can eat

A small sea clam with a long narrow curved shell like the handle of a knife

A small sharp tool gardeners use to cut plants and roots

How Violent

to impale
  • Offensive
32 7.7
to knife
  • NSFW
19 7.1
to slash
80 3.0
cut
313 1.0
to nick
31 3.5

Surface Forms

knife infinitive
knifed past
knifed past participle
knifing present participle
knifes third person singular

Etymology

Knife meaning 'to stab' comes from the noun knife — using a blade to hurt someone. That's why when someone is 'knifed' they are wounded by a knife.