KNOB (knobbed, knobbing)

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

Irregular inflected forms: knobbed    , knobbing   

 Dictionary entry overview: What does knob mean? 

• KNOB (noun)
  The noun KNOB has 4 senses:

1. a circular rounded projection or protuberance

2. a round handle

3. any thickened enlargement

4. an ornament in the shape of a ball on the hilt of a sword or dagger

  Familiarity information: KNOB used as a noun is uncommon.

 Dictionary entry details 

• KNOB (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

A circular rounded projection or protuberance

Classified under:

Nouns denoting man-made objects

Synonyms:

boss; knob

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

projection (any structure that branches out from a central support)

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

knobble (a small knob)

nailhead (flattened boss on the end of nail opposite to the point)

Sense 2

Meaning:

A round handle

Classified under:

Nouns denoting man-made objects

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

grip; handgrip; handle; hold (the appendage to an object that is designed to be held in order to use or move it)

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

doorhandle; doorknob (a knob used to release the catch when opening a door (often called 'doorhandle' in Great Britain))

stop ((music) a knob on an organ that is pulled to change the sound quality from the organ pipes)

Sense 3

Meaning:

Any thickened enlargement

Classified under:

Nouns denoting two and three dimensional shapes

Synonyms:

knob; node; thickening

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

convex shape; convexity (a shape that curves or bulges outward)

Derivation:

knobby (having knobs)

Sense 4

Meaning:

An ornament in the shape of a ball on the hilt of a sword or dagger

Classified under:

Nouns denoting man-made objects

Synonyms:

knob; pommel

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

decoration; ornament; ornamentation (something used to beautify)

Holonyms ("knob" is a part of...):

hilt (the handle of a sword or dagger)

 Context examples 

Uriah stopped short, put his hands between his great knobs of knees, and doubled himself up with laughter.

(David Copperfield, by Charles Dickens)

He was brought back to himself by the rattle of the door-knob.

(Martin Eden, by Jack London)

A replication competent, oncolytic adenovirus serotype 5 (Ad5) with its knob domain of fiber protein substituted by that of the serotype 3 (Ad5/3-delta24), with potential oncolytic activity.

(Conditionally Replicative Adenovirus 5/3-delta24, NCI Thesaurus)

Either a circular indicator or a control knob on a device.

(Dial Device Component, NCI Thesaurus)

Replacement of the Ad5 capsid protein knob with a knob domain from serotype 3 causes higher transduction in cancer cells as compared to normal cells.

(GM-CSF-encoding Oncolytic Adenovirus CGTG-102, NCI Thesaurus)

His hand was on the door-knob, and he half turned as he answered, "To dig some graves."

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

I saw his hand miss the door-knob by an inch, quickly fumble for it, and find it.

(The Sea-Wolf, by Jack London)

Across his thighs was a wooden board, and scattered over it all manner of slips of wood and knobs of brick and stone, each laid separate from the other, as a huckster places his wares.

(The White Company, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

Opposite was a large bookcase, with a marble bust of Athene on the top. In the corner, between the bookcase and the wall, there stood a tall, green safe, the firelight flashing back from the polished brass knobs upon its face.

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

As he stepped into the circle of yellow light thrown by the lantern she saw that he was a person of gentlemanly bearing, dressed in a grey suit of tweeds, with a cloth cap. He wore gaiters, and carried a heavy stick with a knob to it.

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