knife

/naɪf/

/naɪf/

Other forms: knives; knifed; knifing; knifes

A knife is a sharp tool that's used for slicing or cutting. We suggest using a knife as a kitchen tool instead of as a weapon.

A bread knife has a long, serrated edge, and the blade of a pocket knife folds into its handle so you can safely carry it in your pocket. Surgeons use very small knives to make delicate cuts during operations, and various kinds of knives are sometimes used as weapons. To knife, in fact, is to stab or cut with a knife, almost always in a violent way.

Definitions of knife

1. noun

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

   barong

   a knife resembling a cleaver; used in the Philippines

   bolo, bolo knife

   long heavy knife with a single edge; of Philippine origin

   Bowie knife

   a stout hunting knife with a single edge

   bread knife

   a knife used to cut bread

   butcher knife

   a large sharp knife for cutting or trimming meat

   carving knife

   a large knife used to carve cooked meat

   case knife, sheath knife

   a knife with a fixed blade that is carried in a sheath

   chopper, cleaver, meat cleaver

   a butcher's knife having a large square blade

   drawknife, drawshave

   a woodworker's knife to shave surfaces

   hunting knife

   a large sharp knife with a handle shaped to fit the grip

   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

   linoleum cutter, linoleum knife

   a knife having a short stiff blade with a curved point used for cutting linoleum

   parang

   a stout straight knife used in Malaysia and Indonesia

   parer, paring knife

   a small sharp knife used in paring fruits or vegetables

   pocket knife, pocketknife

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

   pruning knife

   a knife with a curved or hooked blade

   slicer

   knife especially designed for slicing particular foods, as cheese

   surgical knife

   a very sharp knife used in surgery

   table knife

   a knife used for eating at dining table

   butter knife

   a small knife with a dull blade; for cutting or spreading butter

   case knife

   a metal blade with a handle; used as cutlery

   catling

   a long double-edged knife used for amputations

   clasp knife, jackknife

   a large knife with one or more folding blades

   fish knife

   a small table knife with a spatula blade used for eating fish

   lance, lancet

   a surgical knife with a pointed double-edged blade; used for punctures and small incisions

   penknife

   a small pocketknife; originally used to cut quill pens

   scalpel

   a thin straight surgical knife used in dissection and surgery

   steak knife

   a sharp table knife used in eating steak

   flick knife, flick-knife, switchblade, switchblade knife

   a pocketknife with a blade that springs open at the press of a button

   type of:

   edge tool

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

   a weapon with a handle and blade with a sharp point
   types:

   bayonet

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

   dagger, sticker

   a short knife with a pointed blade used for piercing or stabbing

   khukuri

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

   machete, matchet, panga

   a large heavy knife used in Central and South America as a weapon or for cutting vegetation

   shiv

   a knife used as a weapon

   trench knife

   a knife with a double-edged blade for hand-to-hand fighting

   yataghan

   a long Turkish knife with a curved blade having a single edge

   dirk

   a relatively long dagger with a straight blade

   kirpan

   a ceremonial four-inch curved dagger that Sikh men and women are obliged to wear at all times

   crease, creese, kris

   a Malayan dagger with a wavy blade

   bodkin, poniard

   a dagger with a slender blade

   stiletto

   a small dagger with a tapered blade

   type of:

   arm, weapon, weapon system

   any instrument or instrumentality used in fighting or hunting
3. noun

   any long thin projection that is transient
   “rifles exploded quick knives of fire into the dark”

   synonyms: tongue

   type of:

   projection

   any solid convex shape that juts out from something
4. verb

   use a knife on
   synonyms: stab

   types:

   poniard

   stab with a poniard

   bayonet

   stab or kill someone with a bayonet

   type of:

   injure, wound

   cause injuries or bodily harm to