English dictionary — definitions & meanings

knavish

adj

Having the characteristics of a knave; mischievous, roguish, waggish, rascally or impertinent.

knead

verb

To press, fold, and work a soft mixture (especially dough) with the hands until it becomes smooth and even.

kneading

noun

The process by which something is kneaded.

knee

noun

The joint in the middle of the leg where the thigh bone meets the shin, allowing the leg to bend.

kneecap

noun

The small, flat, roughly round bone at the front of the knee joint; the patella.

kneecapper

noun

The person who carries out kneecapping.

kneecapping

noun

The act of injuring the knees of (a person), usually by shooting at the knees; often a punishment carried out by criminals or terrorists.

kneel

verb

To lower the body so that one or both knees rest on the ground.

kneelet

noun

A band or piece of jewellery worn around the knee.

kneeling

noun

The act of going down onto one's knees.

kneepan

noun

The kneecap; the patella.

knell

verb

To ring a bell slowly and solemnly, especially to mark a death or funeral.

knickerbockers

noun

Men's or boys' baggy knee breeches, of a type particularly popular in the early 20th century.

knickers

noun

Chiefly British: women's or girls' underpants.

knickknackery

noun

Various trinkets or novelties; bric-a-brac.

Knicks

noun

The New York Knicks, a professional basketball team in the NBA.

knife

noun

A tool with a flat, usually metal blade sharpened along one edge and fixed to a handle, used for cutting.

knifed

adj

Cut or stabbed with a knife.

knifepoint

noun

The pointed end of a knife.

knifing

noun

An instance of stabbing with a knife.

knight

noun

In medieval Europe, an armoured warrior on horseback who served a lord, typically after training as a page and squire.

knighthood

noun

The honour and rank of being made a knight.

Knightley

name

An English surname, most associated with actress Keira Knightley.

knightliness

noun

knightly behaviour; chivalry

Knights

name

An English surname, originally denoting a family associated with or descended from a knight.

knit

verb

To make fabric or a garment by looping yarn together, either by hand with needles or by machine.

knitted

adj

Made by knitting.

knitting

noun

The activity of making fabric or garments by looping yarn together.

knitwork

noun

knitted material; a knitted object

knob

noun

A rounded lump or handle, especially one used to turn or open something.

knobber

noun

A hart in its second year; a young male deer.

knobhead

noun

British slang: an idiot or contemptible person.

knock

verb

To strike something, especially a door, sharply with the knuckles or an object.

knock-knock joke

noun

A joke told as a short scripted exchange that begins "Knock, knock" — "Who's there?" — and ends in a pun on the name the teller gives.

knockabout

noun

Clothing suitable for rough use.

knocker

noun

A hinged fitting attached to a door, used to make a rapping sound to announce a visitor.

knockers

noun

Vulgar slang for a woman's breasts.

knockin

noun

In genetics, the insertion of a specific gene sequence into a particular location in an organism's DNA.

knocking

noun

A repeated rapping sound, such as on a door.

knockoff

noun

A cheap imitation of a well-known, usually branded, product.

knockout

adj

Strong or effective enough to render someone unconscious.

knoll

noun

A small, rounded hill or mound.

knollys

name

A surname from Middle English.

knot

noun

A fastening made by looping and tightening a piece of string, rope, or similar material.

knothead

noun

A stupid or stubborn person.

knotted

adj

Tied into a knot, or full of knots.

knottiness

noun

The state of being knotty.

knotting

noun

The formation of a knot.

knotty

adj

Of string or something stringlike: full of, or tied up, in knots.

knout

noun

A leather scourge (multi-tail whip), in the severe version known as 'great knout' with metal weights on each tongue, notoriously used in imperial Russia.

know

verb

To have information about something, or to be certain that something is true.

knowbie

noun

An experienced Internet user.

knowing

adj

Showing that one understands more than is being said; shrewd or meaningfully aware.

knowingly

adv

With full awareness of the facts; deliberately.

knowingness

noun

The quality or state of being knowing.

knowledge

noun

Information, understanding, or awareness gained through experience, study, or being told.

knowledgeable

adj

Having a lot of knowledge, especially about a particular subject.

knowledgeably

adv

In a knowledgeable manner.

knowledgeful

adj

Full of knowledge; knowledgeable.

Knowles

name

An English surname, most associated with the Knowles family of musicians including Beyonce.

known

adjective

Recognized or identified as a particular type of person or thing; well-established in reputation.

knowsome

adj

Characterised by knowing; full of knowledge; knowledgeable

Knox

name

A Scottish surname and given name, from a place name meaning "round hill."

Knoxville

name

A city in Tennessee, named after U.S. Secretary of War Henry Knox.

knuckle

noun

Any of the joints of the fingers, especially where the fingers meet the hand.

knuckleball

noun

A pitch thrown with the ball gripped on the fingertips and released with no rotation, which travels over an unpredictable path to the plate due to microturbulence in the air.

knucklebones

noun

A children's game, originally played with the knucklebones of sheep, in which small objects are picked up, moved, thrown, and caught according to various rules.

knucklehead

noun

An informal term for a stupid or foolish person.

knuckleheaded

adj

Stupid or inept, like a knucklehead.

Knuckles

noun

A nickname given to a man known for his skill at fistfighting.

knut

noun

An idle, fashionable young man from a wealthy background, more interested in appearances than work.

ko

noun

In the board game Go, a repeating capture situation where a single stone could be taken back and forth forever, so special rules stop it.

koala

noun

A tree-dwelling Australian marsupial with a stout grey body, round furry ears, and a diet almost entirely of eucalyptus leaves.

Kobayashi

name

A common Japanese surname, meaning "small forest."

Kobe

name

A major port city in Japan, capital of Hyōgo Prefecture, famous for its beef and its harbour.

kobold

noun

An ambivalent, sometimes vindictive, spirit that is capable of materialising as an object or human, often a child; a sprite.

kocay

noun

A place used for urination and defecation: a latrine; an outhouse; a lavatory.

Koch

name

A German surname, an occupational name for a cook.

Kochi

name

A city in the Indian state of Kerala, a major port on the southwest coast.

koda

noun

A small-grained cereal crop, also called kodo millet, grown for food in parts of South Asia.

kodak

noun

A camera, especially a simple, portable one for taking snapshots.

Kodiak

noun

A very large brown bear native to Kodiak Island and the surrounding archipelago in Alaska.

kody

name

A male given name transferred from the surname.

Koen

name

A masculine given name, the Dutch short form of Konrad, meaning "bold counsel."

Koenig

name

A German-Jewish surname meaning "king."

Koga

name

A Japanese surname, also associated with a historic region and school of ninjutsu.

Koh

name

A surname.

kohai

noun

A junior member of a group in Japanese arts; mentee.

Koharu

name

A feminine Japanese given name, often meaning "small spring" or referring to a mild autumn day.

Kohei

name

A masculine Japanese given name, often meaning "wide peace" or "vast level ground."

kohen

name

A Jewish surname from Hebrew.

Kohl

noun

A dark powder, traditionally made from ground stibnite, used to line the eyes as makeup, especially across the Middle East and South Asia.

Kohler

name

A German surname, an occupational name for a charcoal burner, also a major American plumbing fixtures brand.

koi

noun

An ornamental variety of carp bred for its bright red, gold, or white patterned scales, popular in garden ponds.

Koichi

name

A masculine Japanese given name, often meaning "prosperous first son."

Koizumi

name

A Japanese surname, meaning "small spring," most associated with former prime minister Junichiro Koizumi.

koji

noun

Rice, barley, or soybeans that have been inoculated with a mold and fermented, used as a starter to make sake, miso, soy sauce, and similar foods.

Kojima

name

A Japanese surname, meaning "small island," most associated with video game designer Hideo Kojima.

Kok

name

A Dutch and Chinese surname; in Dutch it is an occupational name for a cook.

koko

noun

A fast-growing tropical tree (Albizia lebbeck) grown for shade, timber, and fodder.

kokoro

noun

A Japanese word covering heart, mind, and spirit together — a person's inner emotional and mental self.

Kol

noun

A member of one of several tribal peoples of eastern India, including the Munda, Ho, and Oraon.

kolar

name

A city in Karnataka, southern India.

Kolkata

name

The capital of the Indian state of West Bengal, formerly known in English as Calcutta.

kolton

name

A male given name of modern usage.

Kolya

name

A masculine given name, an informal Russian diminutive of Nikolai.

Komal

name

A given name of Sanskrit origin, meaning "soft" or "delicate."

Komodo

noun

Short for Komodo dragon, the world's largest living lizard, native to a handful of Indonesian islands.

Komsomol

name

The youth organisation of the Communist Party in the former Soviet Union.

Kondo

verb

To declutter and organise one's belongings, keeping only items that bring joy, following the method popularised by Marie Kondo.

Kong

noun

In mahjong, a set of four identical tiles, or the act of declaring such a set.

kongo

noun

A Bantu ethnic group primarily defined as the speakers of Kikongo.

kono

noun

A traditional woven basket made by the Māori of New Zealand, often from flax fibre.

Konrad

name

A masculine given name of German origin, meaning "bold counsel."

Koo

name

A Korean and Chinese surname.

kook

noun

An eccentric or slightly crazy person.

kooky

adj

Eccentric, quirky, or slightly crazy in an endearing way.

kool

verb

(slang) To look at something or pay attention to it.

koolie

noun

A merle-coated Australian breed of working dog, originally bred for herding sheep.

Koontz

name

A German-American surname, most associated with novelist Dean Koontz.

koop

name

A surname from the West Germanic languages.

Kor

name

A short surname of various origins, and a common component in longer Central and Eastern European names.

kora

noun

A West African string instrument that combines features of a harp and a lute, played by plucking.

Koran

noun

An older English spelling of "Qur'an", the central religious text of Islam.

kore

noun

An Ancient Greek statue of a woman, portrayed standing, usually clothed, painted in bright colours and having an elaborate hairstyle.

Korea

name

A peninsula and historic region in East Asia, today divided into North Korea and South Korea.

Korean

adj

Relating to the Korean Peninsula, its people, or its culture.

Koreatown

name

A district of a city, outside Korea itself, with a large concentration of Korean residents and businesses.

Korey

name

A male given name, a 20th-century American variant of Cory.

kori

noun

The monetary unit of Kutch prior to 1947, divided into 24 dokdas.

kory

name

A male given name transferred from the surname.

Kosh

name

A surname of German origin, an Americanized spelling of Kosch.

kosher

adj

Prepared and permitted according to Jewish dietary law, especially describing food.

Kosovo

name

A partly-recognized country on the Balkan Peninsula in Southeast Europe, whose capital is Pristina.

Kostas

name

A male given name used in Greece, a transliteration of the Greek Κώστας (Kóstas).

Kostya

name

A Russian or Ukrainian male given name, a diminutive form of Konstantin.

Kosuke

name

A male given name of Japanese origin.

Kota

name

A city and district in the Indian state of Rajasthan.

koto

noun

A Japanese stringed instrument with a long wooden body and usually thirteen strings, played by plucking with picks worn on the fingers.

Kotoko

noun

A Chadic-speaking ethnic group from the area around Lake Chad, in what is now Cameroon, Nigeria, and Chad.

kou

noun

A tropical tree, Cordia subcordata, valued in Hawaii for its richly grained wood.

Kourtney

name

A unisex given name, a variant spelling of Courtney.

Kovac

name

A surname from Czech, Slovak, Slovene, or Serbo-Croatian, ultimately meaning "blacksmith."

Kovach

name

A surname of Slavic origin meaning "blacksmith," a variant of Kovac.

Kovacs

name

A surname of Hungarian origin, from kovács meaning "blacksmith."

KOW

name

The railway station code for Kowloon in Hong Kong.

Kowalski

name

A surname of Polish origin.

Kowloon

name

A densely populated peninsula and urban area of Hong Kong, across the harbor from Hong Kong Island.

kowtow

verb

To kneel and bow so low that the forehead touches the ground, as a sign of deep respect or submission.

Kozue

name

A female given name of Japanese origin.