🔪 Under knife threat 🗡️ Knife tip 🔪 With knife threat

knifepoint

7.1

The sharp point at the end of a knife that can cut

noun
/ˈnaɪfˌpɔɪnt/

Offensive

: punta de cuchillo

She shivered as the knifepoint pressed against her skin during the mugging.

Examples

The knifepoint had almost worked its way to your heart.

The Lord of the Rings (1978)
He held the robber at knifepoint, demanding all his money.
The detective questioned the witness about the knifepoint that threatened her during the attack.

Synonyms

point

vsknifepoint

550 1.0

The sharp end of something like a knife or mountain

is a sharp tip commonly used to threaten or injure people

sharp end

vsknifepoint

1 6.0

The pointed, dangerous part of a thing or the most risky part of a situation

is a specific blade tip often used to force or frighten someone

Antonyms

blunt

109 1.0

An object with a dull edge or tip that does not cut well

How Sharp

knifepoint

Offensive

7.1

sharp

301 1.0

dull

17 1.0

Surface Forms

knifepoint singular

knifepoints plural

Morphology

knifepoint = knife + point (transparent) = knife + point

This is the literal 'point' of a knife; meaning is directly the combination of the two base words.

Etymology

Knifepoint can also mean the actual sharp 'point' of a knife, the small end that can cut or poke. That literal image explains why the word is used for threats, because the same point can be used to harm or scare someone.