What does knife mean?
A knife is a familiar handheld tool with a handle and a sharpened blade, most often used to cut food, peel ingredients, slice bread, or handle other materials requiring a sharp edge. Because a knife can also be used as a weapon, the word may carry associations of danger, violence, or threat, although in ordinary culinary contexts it is simply a practical household object. As a verb, to knife means to cut or stab with a knife; informally, it can also mean to kill or severely attack someone, or to criticize a performance or idea sharply. The standard plural is knives. Knife is pronounced the same as knight, making the two words a familiar example of English spelling and pronunciation diverging. Its history is also distinctive: the English word derives from Old Norse knífr and belongs to a wider Germanic family that includes related forms in Scandinavian languages.
A handheld tool with a sharpened blade and a handle, used for cutting food, preparing ingredients, or cutting other materials; it may also be used as a weapon.
"The cook used a sharp knife to slice the onions."
The noun is neutral in ordinary culinary contexts but may imply danger or violence when it refers to a weapon or an act of stabbing.
To cut or stab with a knife; informally, to kill or severely attack someone with a knife, or to criticize something sharply.
"The review accused the director of trying to knife the play's reputation."
The verb is less common than the noun and is generally informal, especially in its figurative sense of sharply criticizing or attacking someone or something.
The standard plural of knife is knives.
"She laid the knives and forks on the table."
The word knife is a survivor of Old Norse: English borrowed knífr, while related Germanic languages still use cognate forms of the same word.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of knife
Old English had the word cnif, borrowed from Old Norse knífr, meaning a knife or blade. The English form continued through Middle English into modern knife. The Old Norse word belongs to the Germanic family, reflected in cognates such as Danish, Norwegian, and Swedish kniv and Icelandic knífr.
Related word forms
How knife is actually used
The noun is neutral in everyday use. The verb is less formal, and the sense meaning to kill or attack someone can be especially violent; the figurative sense of criticizing something sharply is also informal.
Easily confused with knife
A knife is a cutting tool, whereas a knight is a medieval mounted warrior or, in modern usage, a chess piece.