KNIFE (knives)

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

Irregular inflected form: knives   

 Dictionary entry overview: What does knife mean? 

• KNIFE (noun)
  The noun KNIFE has 3 senses:

1. edge tool used as a cutting instrument; has a pointed blade with a sharp edge and a handle

2. a weapon with a handle and blade with a sharp point

3. any long thin projection that is transient

  Familiarity information: KNIFE used as a noun is uncommon.

• KNIFE (verb)
  The verb KNIFE has 1 sense:

1. use a knife on

  Familiarity information: KNIFE used as a verb is very rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• KNIFE (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

Edge tool used as a cutting instrument; has a pointed blade with a sharp edge and a handle

Classified under:

Nouns denoting man-made objects

Hypernyms ("knife" is a kind of...):

edge tool (any cutting tool with a sharp cutting edge (as a chisel or knife or plane or gouge))

Meronyms (parts of "knife"):

blade (the flat part of a tool or weapon that (usually) has a cutting edge)

point (sharp end)

knife blade (the blade of a knife)

haft; helve (the handle of a weapon or tool)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "knife"):

bolo; bolo knife (long heavy knife with a single edge; of Philippine origin)

table knife (a knife used for eating at dining table)

surgical knife (a very sharp knife used in surgery)

slicer (knife especially designed for slicing particular foods, as cheese)

pruning knife (a knife with a curved or hooked blade)

pocket knife; pocketknife (a knife with a blade that folds into the handle; suitable for carrying in the pocket)

parer; paring knife (a small sharp knife used in paring fruits or vegetables)

parang (a stout straight knife used in Malaysia and Indonesia)

linoleum cutter; linoleum knife (a knife having a short stiff blade with a curved point used for cutting linoleum)

letter opener; paper knife; paperknife (dull knife used to cut open the envelopes in which letters are mailed or to slit uncut pages of books)

drawknife; drawshave (a woodworker's knife to shave surfaces)

chopper; cleaver; meat cleaver (a butcher's knife having a large square blade)

case knife; sheath knife (a knife with a fixed blade that is carried in a sheath)

carving knife (a large knife used to carve cooked meat)

butcher knife (a large sharp knife for cutting or trimming meat)

bread knife (a knife used to cut bread)

Bowie knife (a stout hunting knife with a single edge)

barong (a knife resembling a cleaver; used in the Philippines)

hunting knife (a large sharp knife with a handle shaped to fit the grip)

Derivation:

knife (use a knife on)

Sense 2

Meaning:

A weapon with a handle and blade with a sharp point

Classified under:

Nouns denoting man-made objects

Hypernyms ("knife" is a kind of...):

arm; weapon; weapon system (any instrument or instrumentality used in fighting or hunting)

Meronyms (parts of "knife"):

peak; point; tip (a V shape)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "knife"):

bayonet (a knife that can be fixed to the end of a rifle and used as a weapon)

yataghan (a long Turkish knife with a curved blade having a single edge)

trench knife (a knife with a double-edged blade for hand-to-hand fighting)

shiv (a knife used as a weapon)

machete; matchet; panga (a large heavy knife used in Central and South America as a weapon or for cutting vegetation)

khukuri (a curved steel knife with a razor-sharp edge used in combat by the Gurkhas; has cultural and religious significance in Nepal)

dagger; sticker (a short knife with a pointed blade used for piercing or stabbing)

Derivation:

knife (use a knife on)

Sense 3

Meaning:

Any long thin projection that is transient

Classified under:

Nouns denoting two and three dimensional shapes

Synonyms:

knife; tongue

Context example:

rifles exploded quick knives of fire into the dark

Hypernyms ("knife" is a kind of...):

projection (any solid convex shape that juts out from something)

• KNIFE (verb)

Present simple: I / you / we / they knife    ... he / she / it knifes   
Past simple: knifed   
Past participle: knifed   
-ing form: knifing   

Sense 1

Meaning:

Use a knife on

Classified under:

Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging

Synonyms:

knife; stab

Context example:

The victim was knifed to death

Hypernyms (to "knife" is one way to...):

injure; wound (cause injuries or bodily harm to)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "knife"):

poniard (stab with a poniard)

bayonet (stab or kill someone with a bayonet)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s somebody

Sentence example:

They want to knife the prisoners

Derivation:

knife (edge tool used as a cutting instrument; has a pointed blade with a sharp edge and a handle)

knife (a weapon with a handle and blade with a sharp point)

 Context examples 

She saw their sashes untied, their hair pulled about their ears, their work-bags searched, and their knives and scissors stolen away, and felt no doubt of its being a reciprocal enjoyment.

(Sense and Sensibility, by Jane Austen)

“Unless he fell upon the knife,” said Holmes.

(The Return of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

He has neither a knife nor any sign of a wound.

(The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

There was no slit through which a knife could be passed to raise the bar.

(The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

Rifle and knife were both missing.

(Love of Life and Other Stories, by Jack London)

Mugridge menaced with the knife he was sharpening for me.

(The Sea-Wolf, by Jack London)

But, on the instant, came the sweep and flash of Jonathan's great knife.

(Dracula, by Bram Stoker)

Gamma Knife therapy is not a knife and is not surgery.

(Gamma Knife, NCI Dictionary)

A knife in his back as like as not.

(Treasure Island, by Robert Louis Stevenson)

Types of conization are LEEP (loop electrosurgical excision procedure) and cold knife conization (cold knife cone biopsy).

(Conization, NCI Dictionary)