knife
- noun1 tool for cuttingADJECTIVE▪ blunt, dull (esp. AmE)▪ sharp▪ serrated▪ long▪ small▪ four-inch, six-inch, etc.▪ rusty▪ electric▪ plastic, silver, steel▪ kitchen, table▪ bread, butter, fish, steak▪ butcher (esp. AmE), butcher's (esp. BrE), chef's▪ carving, paring (esp. AmE)▪ pocket, Swiss army™▪ bowie (esp. AmE), hunting, sheath (esp. BrE)▪ butterfly, flick (BrE)▪ Stanley™ (BrE), utility (AmE)▪ craft (BrE), X-acto™ (AmE)▪ palette▪ putty (AmE)… OF KNIVES▪ set▪
a set of kitchen knives
VERB + KNIFE▪ pick up▪She picked up her knife and fork and started to eat.
▪ lay down, put down▪ use▪Use a sharp knife to cut away the spare dough.
▪ sharpen▪ holdKNIFE + VERB▪ cut, slice▪That knife doesn't cut very well—it needs sharpening.
▪ clatterKNIFE + NOUN▪ blade, handle▪ block, holder▪ sharpenerPREPOSITION▪ with a/the knife▪The lines can be cut with a craft knife.
PHRASES▪ the blade of a knife, the handle of a knife▪ go under the surgeon's knife (esp. BrE)▪He is to go under the surgeon's knife (= have surgery) again on Thursday.
▪ a knife and fork2 used as a weaponADJECTIVE▪ long, sharp▪ combat (esp. AmE)VERB + KNIFE▪ be armed with, carry, have▪She carries a knife in her bag now.
▪ brandish, point, wave, wield▪She pointed her knife at Richard.
▪He waved his knife in her face threateningly.
▪ draw, draw out, produce, pull, pull out, take out, whip out▪He suddenly pulled a knife on me.
▪She suddenly produced a knife from her pocket and started brandishing it.
▪ come at sb with, stab sb with, threaten sb with▪She stabbed him in the back with a 12-inch knife.
▪ plunge, press, push, put, stick, thrust, twist (often figurative)▪He plunged the knife deep into her heart.
▪He pressed the knife tighter against her throat.
▪Just to twist the knife (= cause additional suffering, tension, etc.), the filmmakers have provided a surprise ending.
▪ sharpen, whetKNIFE + VERB▪ cut sth, pierce sth, slash sth, slice sth, slice through sth▪She cried out in pain as the knife slashed her arm.
▪She felt a knife slice her wrist open.
▪ protrude▪He was slumped over his desk with a knife protruding from his back.
KNIFE + NOUN▪ attack, fight▪a frenzied knife attack
▪He and his gang had a knife fight one night.
▪ cut, wound▪ bladePREPOSITION▪ with a/the knifePHRASES▪ the blade of a knife, the hilt of a knife▪ hold a knife against sb's throat, hold a knife at sb's throat, hold a knife to sb's throat, put a knife to sb's throat▪She put the knife to his throat to frighten him into silence.
▪ a knife in sb's heart (figurative)▪Each word he uttered was a knife in her heart.
Collocations dictionary. 2013.
Look at other dictionaries:
Knife — (n[imac]f), n.; pl. {Knives} (n[imac]vz). [OE. knif, AS. cn[=i]f; akin to D. knijf, Icel. kn[=i]fr, Sw. knif, Dan. kniv.] 1. An instrument consisting of a thin blade, usually of steel and having a sharp edge for cutting, fastened to a handle, but … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
knife — ► NOUN (pl. knives) 1) a cutting instrument consisting of a blade fixed into a handle. 2) a cutting blade on a machine. ► VERB 1) stab with a knife. 2) cut like a knife. ● at knifepoint … English terms dictionary
Knife — Knife, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Knifed}; p. pr. & vb. n. {Knifing}.] 1. (Hort.) To prune with the knife. [1913 Webster] 2. To cut or stab with a knife. [Low] [1913 Webster] 3. Fig.: To stab in the back; to try to defeat by underhand means, esp. in… … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
knife — knife; knife·ful; knife·less; knife·man; … English syllables
knife — [nīf] n. pl. knives [ME knif < OE cnif, akin to Ger kneif, ON knīfr < IE * gneibh (> Lith gnaibis, a pinching): for base see KNEAD] 1. a cutting or stabbing instrument with a sharp blade, single edged or double edged, set in a handle 2.… … English World dictionary
knife — [n] cutting tool bayonet, blade, bolo, cutlass, cutter, cutting edge, dagger, edge, lance, lancet, machete, point, ripper, sabre, scalpel, scimitar, scythe, shank, shiv, sickle, skewer, skiver, steel, stiletto, switchblade, sword, tickler;… … New thesaurus
knife — index lancinate, pierce (lance) Burton s Legal Thesaurus. William C. Burton. 2006 … Law dictionary
knife — The plural form of the noun is knives, but the inflected forms of the verb are knifes, knifed, knifing … Modern English usage
Knife — A knife is a handheld sharp edged instrument consisting of handle attached to a blade used for cutting. The knife is a tool that can be used as a weapon. Its origins date as far back as two and a half million years ago, as evidenced by the… … Wikipedia
knife — [[t]na͟ɪf[/t]] ♦♦♦ knives, knifes, knifing, knifed (knives is the plural form of the noun and knifes is the third person singular of the present tense of the verb.) 1) N COUNT A knife is a tool for cutting or a weapon and consists of a flat piece … English dictionary
