to pierce or wound with or as if with a pointed weapon: She stabbed a piece of chicken with her fork.
to thrust, plunge, or jab (a knife, pointed weapon, or the like) into something: He stabbed the knife into the man's chest.
to penetrate sharply or painfully: Their misery stabbed his conscience.
to make a piercing, thrusting, or pointing motion at or in: He stabbed me in the chest with his finger.The speaker stabbed the air in anger.
verb (used without object),stabbed,stab·bing.
to thrust with or as if with a knife or other pointed weapon: to stab at an attacker.
to deliver a wound, as with a pointed weapon.
noun
the act of stabbing.
a thrust or blow with, or as if with, a pointed weapon.
an attempt; try; Make a stab at an answer before giving up.
a wound made by stabbing.
a sudden, brief, and usually painful, sensation: He felt a stab of pain in his foot.A stab of pity ran through her.
Idioms for stab
a stab in the back, an act of treachery.
stab (someone) in the back, to do harm to (someone), especially to a friend or to a person who is unsuspecting or in a defenseless position.
Origin of stab
First recorded in 1435–45 for the noun, and in 1525–35 for the verb; Middle English (Scots ) noun stab, stabbe, stappe, of uncertain origin; compare Scots stob “needle, large needle”; verb from the noun
“Let me take a stab at rewriting this,” Besser recalled Emanuel saying as he began scribbling on a pad.
Inside the Fall of the CDC|by James Bandler, Patricia Callahan, Sebastian Rotella and Kirsten Berg|October 15, 2020|ProPublica
Her sister, Diana Jiménez López, on Tuesday told the Washington Blade during a telephone interview from California that Huerta had stab wounds throughout her body.
Tijuana authorities criticized over handling of transgender woman’s murder|Michael K. Lavers|September 17, 2020|Washington Blade
Then stab her to death and bring me back her lungs and liver as proof of your deed.
In New Brothers Grimm 'Snow White', The Prince Doesn't Save Her|The Brothers Grimm|November 30, 2014|DAILY BEAST
She ran, but he caught her, and began to stab her in the middle of the street.
The Myth of the Central Park Five|Edward Conlon|October 19, 2014|DAILY BEAST
This prompts Sarah Lynn to stab herself with a Confederate bayonet letter-opener, causing a geyser of blood.
'BoJack Horseman': The Debauched Tales of a Drunken, Groupie-Sexing D-List Horse, Hits Netflix|Marlow Stern|August 22, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Williams comes up dry on Pete Wilson, though he makes a stab at doing Pete Rose.
The Stacks: Robin Williams, More Than A Shtick Figure|Joe Morgenstern|August 16, 2014|DAILY BEAST
You can stab a woman multiple times with a knife to become a man, but God forbid you sleep with her.
A Fantasy Titan Invades the YA Kingdom|William O’Connor|July 18, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Sew one-half inch below this with stab stitch, trim material off close under this stitching.
Make Your Own Hats|Gene Allen Martin
He thought Jake knelt down and tried to lift him, but this brought on a stab of burning pain and he knew nothing more.
Brandon of the Engineers|Harold Bindloss
I know the way into the zenana by the broken wall,' he said, 'and I will go and stab the Nawab in his sleep; who will know of it?
A Noble Queen (Volume I of 3)|Philip Meadows Taylor
We want red deer-bones and green deer-bones; small, sharp ones to stab fish with.
Creation Myths of Primitive America|Jeremiah Curtin
Each of its three good notes was a stab at the feelings, and so, for that matter, was the note that had gone wrong.
IT and Other Stories|Gouverneur Morris
British Dictionary definitions for stab
stab
/ (stæb) /
verbstabs, stabbingorstabbed
(tr)to pierce or injure with a sharp pointed instrument
(tr)(of a sharp pointed instrument) to pierce or woundthe knife stabbed her hand
(when intr , often foll by at) to make a thrust (at); jabhe stabbed at the doorway
(tr)to inflict with a sharp pain
stab in the back
(verb)to do damage to the reputation of (a person, esp a friend) in a surreptitious way
(noun)a treacherous action or remark that causes the downfall of or injury to a person
noun
the act or an instance of stabbing
an injury or rift made by stabbing
a sudden sensation, esp an unpleasant onea stab of pity
informalan attempt (esp in the phrase make a stab at)
Derived forms of stab
stabber, noun
Word Origin for stab
C14: from stabbe stab wound; probably related to Middle English stob stick