verb (used with object)
1.
to pierce or wound with or as if with a pointed weapon: She stabbed a piece of chicken with her fork.
2.
to thrust, plunge, or jab (a knife, pointed weapon, or the like) into something: He stabbed the knife into the man's chest.
3.
to penetrate sharply or painfully: Their misery stabbed his conscience.
4.
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)
5.
to thrust with or as if with a knife or other pointed weapon: to stab at an attacker.
6.
to deliver a wound, as with a pointed weapon.
00:10
Stab
is one of our favorite verbs.
So is lollygag. Does it mean:
| to swindle, cheat, hoodwink, or hoax. |
| to spend time idly; loaf. |
noun
Idioms 7.
the act of stabbing.
8.
a thrust or blow with, or as if with, a pointed weapon.
9.
an attempt; try: Make a stab at an answer before giving up.
10.
a wound made by stabbing.
11.
a sudden, brief, and usually painful, sensation: He felt a stab of pain in his foot. A stab of pity ran through her.
12.
a stab in the back, an act of treachery.
13.
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:
1325–75; (v.) Middle English (Scots) stabben < ?; (noun) late Middle English, akin to or derivative of the v.; compare Scots stob stub1
1325–75; (v.) Middle English (Scots) stabben < ?; (noun) late Middle English, akin to or derivative of the v.; compare Scots stob stub1
Related forms
re·stab, verb, re·stabbed, re·stab·bing.
un·stabbed, adjective
Synonyms
1. spear, penetrate, pin, transfix.
1. spear, penetrate, pin, transfix.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
stab.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
Cite This Source
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Link To stab
Collins
World English Dictionary
stab (stæb) ![[Click for IPA pronunciation guide]](http://static.sfdict.com/dictstatic/g/d/dictionary_questionbutton_default.gif) | |
| —vb (when intr | |
| 1. | (tr) to pierce or injure with a sharp pointed instrument |
| 2. | (tr) (of a sharp pointed instrument) to pierce or wound: the knife stabbed her hand |
| 3. | to make a thrust (at); jab: he stabbed at the doorway |
| 4. | (tr) to inflict with a sharp pain |
| 5. | stab in the back |
| a. (verb) to do damage to the reputation of (a person, esp a friend) in a surreptitious way | |
| b. (noun) a treacherous action or remark that causes the downfall of or injury to a person | |
| —n | |
| 6. | the act or an instance of stabbing |
| 7. | an injury or rift made by stabbing |
| 8. | a sudden sensation, esp an unpleasant one: a stab of pity |
| 9. | informal an attempt (esp in the phrase make a stab at) |
| [C14: from stabbe stab wound; probably related to Middle English stob stick] | |
| 'stabber | |
| —n | |
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source
Etymonline
Word Origin & History
stab
late 14c., first attested in Scottish Eng., apparently a dial. variant of Scottish stob "to pierce, stab," of uncertain origin, perhaps a variant of stub (n.) "stake, nail." The noun meaning "wound produced by stabbing" is first attested mid-15c. Fig. use, of emotions, etc., is from 1590s. Meaning "a
try" first recorded 1895, Amer.Eng. Stab in the back "treacherous deed" is first attested 1916.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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FOLDOC
American Heritage
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
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Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
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Example sentences
She chirpily replied that the mer-cats should find a sharp rock and then stab the octopus till it died.
Prior to that he had sustained stab wounds, bites and often came home with bruises.
As its authors acknowledge, it is a crude first stab at measuring the rich world's help for the poor.
Good work at taking a stab at presenting a clear, coherent response.
Idioms & Phrases
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