to knife
- verb
- /naɪf/
- The athlete knifed through the water during the swimming competition.
- knife his way
- knife through the water
- knife the air
Examples
-
Then light knifed down into one of his eyes, and all his pains awoke at once.
Fiction book (2002) -
Icy cold knifed into me.
Fiction book (1994) -
it can knife its way through steel and concrete.
-
It was a damp night, winter beginning to knife its way in.
Fiction book (1998) -
A gust of air from the door being opened and closed knifed through the room.
Fiction book (1999) -
The icy air knifed through the old kitchen windows.
Fiction book (1999) -
A windsurfer knifed through the water.
Fiction book (1990) -
Headlights suddenly knifed through the dark, sending Rachel a step back into the shadows.
Fiction book (2001) -
The light was terrific, knifing at Burns, and he squinted behind his sunglasses.
Fiction book (1992) -
The race car knifed sharply around the corner, maintaining its speed.
Synonyms
To move quickly in a new direction, often to take a shortcut
To go straight across a place, for example through land or a crowd
Cut or move quickly and smoothly through air and water
Move a sharp object into something to cut it
Move forward quickly and forcefully as if cutting through the air
Antonyms
Idioms
- Informal
Be badly prepared for a situation where others have much better tools
- Informal
Say or do something on purpose to hurt someone who is already in trouble
- Informal
A hurtful comment or action that makes someone feel worse after bad news
Phrasal Verbs
Compounds
A small sharp knife with a serrated or straight edge used to cut cooked meat at the table
A small folding tool with a metal blade that fits into its handle and into a pocket
A small folding tool with blades and screwdrivers that people use to mean a person with many skills
A tropical bean plant with red flowers that grows black beans with white spots you can eat
- Specialized
A narrow fold in cloth pressed flat in one direction, often used in skirts
A very unstable situation that can quickly become much worse or better after a small change
- Specialized
A small sharp tool with a replaceable blade that you use in crafts for precise cutting
- Specialized
A very sharp knife a doctor uses in an operation to cut parts of the body
How Smooth
- Informal
Surface Forms
Etymology
Knife meaning 'to move quickly and smoothly through something' comes from the picture of a blade cutting its way forward. That's why a boat or skier that 'knifes' through water or snow seems to slice through it like a sharp blade.