knee
noun /niː/
/niː/
Idioms 
enlarge imagethe joint between the top and bottom parts of the leg where it bends in the middle- a knee injury
- I had knee surgery three years ago.
- Bend your knees until you feel your thigh muscles working.
- I grazed my knee when I fell.
- He went down on one knee and asked her to marry him.
- on your knees She was on her knees scrubbing the kitchen floor.
- Everyone was down on (their) on (their) hands and knees (= crawling on the floor) looking for the ring.
- He fell to his knees and begged for mercy.
- My knees were knocking (= I was frightened).
Extra ExamplesTopics Bodya2- He dropped to one knee.
- He hugged his knees to keep warm.
- He patted her knee reassuringly.
- He slapped his knee as he rocked with laughter.
- He's snapped a ligament in his knee.
- I rested my chin on my drawn-up knees.
- Suddenly her knees buckled and she fell to the floor.
- The blow knocked him to his knees.
- His leg was missing below the knee.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- left
- right
- bony
- …
- bend
- flex
- straighten
- …
- buckle
- give way
- weaken
- …
- injury
- problem
- sprain
- …
- above the knee
- across your knees
- at somebody’s knee
- …
- bring something to its knees
- on your hands and knees
- on bended knee
- …
- the part of a piece of clothing that covers the knee
- I brushed the dust from the knees of my trousers.
- at the knee These jeans are torn at the knee.
- a knee patch
- the top surface of the upper part of the legs when you are sitting down synonym lap
- Come and sit on Daddy's knee.
Extra Examples- She had a blanket draped across her knees.
- She sat on her father's knee while he read her a story.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- left
- right
- bony
- …
- bend
- flex
- straighten
- …
- buckle
- give way
- weaken
- …
- injury
- problem
- sprain
- …
- above the knee
- across your knees
- at somebody’s knee
- …
- bring something to its knees
- on your hands and knees
- on bended knee
- …
More Like This Silent lettersSilent letters- gnarled
- gnash
- gnat
- gnaw
- gnome
- haute cuisine
- heir
- herb
- honour
- hors d’oeuvre
- hour
- knack
- knee
- kneel
- knife
- knight
- knit
- knob
- knock
- knot
- know
- knuckle
- psalm
- psephology
- psychic
- ptarmigan
- pterodactyl
- psychology
- wrangle
- wrap
- wreath
- wreck
- wrench
- wrestle
- wriggle
- wring
- write
- wrong
- bomb
- climb
- crumb
- doubt
- lamb
- limb
- ascent
- fascinate
- muscle
- scene
- scissors
- height
- right
- sleigh
- weight
- align
- campaign
- design
- foreign
- malign
- reign
- unfeigned
- balmy
- calm
- calf
- half
- yolk
- autumn
- column
- condemn
- damn
- hymn
- solemn
- bristle
- fasten
- listen
- mortgage
- soften
- thistle
- wrestle
- biscuit
- build
- circuit
- disguise
- guilty
- league
- rogue
- vague
- yacht
- answer
- sword
- two
Word OriginOld English cnēow, cnēo, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch knie and German Knie, from an Indo-European root shared by Latin genu and Greek gonu.
Idioms
at your mother’s knee
- when you were very young
- I learnt these songs at my mother's knee.
the bee’s knees
- (informal) an excellent person or thing
- She thinks she's the bee's knees (= she has a very high opinion of herself).
bring somebody to their knees
- to defeat somebody, especially in a war
bring something to its knees
- to badly affect an organization, etc. so that it can no longer function
- The strikes brought the industry to its knees.
- The fuel shortage brought the country to its knees within weeks.
on bended knee(s)
- if you ask for something on bended knee(s), you ask for it in a very anxious and/or humble way (= showing you think you are less important than the person you are asking)
- I’d go down on bended knee if I thought she’d change her mind.
put somebody over your knee
- to punish somebody by making them lie on top of your knee and hitting their bottom
weak at the knees
- (informal) hardly able to stand because of emotion, fear, illness, etc.
- His sudden smile made her go weak at the knees.