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the knife


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WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026
knife /naɪf/USA pronunciation   n., pl. knives /naɪvz/USA pronunciation  v., knifed, knif•ing. 
n. [countable]
  1. an instrument for cutting, made of a sharp-edged metal blade fitted with a handle:steak knives.
  2. a knifelike weapon;
    The man was dead, with a knife sticking out of him.

v. 
  1. to cut, stab, etc., with a knife:[~ + object]had been knifed and left to die.
  2. to move through something with or as if with a knife:[no object]The ship knifed through the water.
Idioms
  1. knife (someone) in the back, to attempt to defeat, weaken, or ruin someone in a secret or dishonest way.


WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026
knife  (nīf ),USA pronunciation n., pl. knives (nīvz),USA pronunciation v., knifed, knif•ing. 
n. 
  1. an instrument for cutting, consisting essentially of a thin, sharp-edged, metal blade fitted with a handle.
  2. a knifelike weapon;
    dagger or short sword.
  3. any blade for cutting, as in a tool or machine.
  4. Idioms under the knife, in surgery;
    undergoing a medical operation:The patient was under the knife for four hours.

v.t. 
  1. to apply a knife to;
    cut, stab, etc., with a knife.
  2. to attempt to defeat or undermine in a secret or underhanded way.

v.i. 
  1. to move or cleave through something with or as if with a knife:The ship knifed through the heavy seas.
  • bef. 1100; Middle English knif, Old English cnīf; cognate with Dutch knijf, German Kneif, Old Norse knīfr
knife′like′, adj. 
knif′er, n. 

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
knife / naɪf/ ( knives / naɪvz/)
  1. a cutting instrument consisting of a sharp-edged often pointed blade of metal fitted into a handle or onto a machine
  2. a similar instrument used as a weapon
  3. under the knife ⇒ undergoing a surgical operation
(transitive)
  1. to cut, stab, or kill with a knife
  2. to betray, injure, or depose in an underhand way
Etymology: Old English cnīf; related to Old Norse knīfr, Middle Low German knīfˈknifeˌlike
'the knife' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):

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