Adjacent Words

Stab definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

STAB, v.t. [This word contains the elements, and is probably from the primary sense, of the L., to point or prick, and a multitude of others in many languages. The radical sense is to thrust; but I know not to what oriental roots they are allied.]
1. To pierce with a pointed weapon; as, to be stabbed by a dagger or a spear; to stab fish or eels.
2. To wound mischievously or mortally; to kill by the thrust of a pointed instrument.
3. To injure secretly or by malicious falsehood or slander; as, to stab reputation.
STAB, v.i.
1. To give a wound with a pointed weapon.
None shall dare with shortend sword to stab in closer war.
2. To give a mortal wound.
He speaks poniards, and every word stabs.
To stab at, to offer a stab; to thrust a pointed weapon at.
STAB, n.
1. The thrust of a pointed weapon.
2. A wound with a sharp pointed weapon; as, to fall by the stab of an assassin.
3. An injury given in the dark; a sly mischief; as a stab given to character.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

n
1: a sudden sharp feeling; "pangs of regret"; "she felt a stab of excitement"; "twinges of conscience" [syn: pang, stab, twinge]
2: a strong blow with a knife or other sharp pointed instrument; "one strong stab to the heart killed him" [syn: stab, thrust, knife thrust]
3: informal words for any attempt or effort; "he gave it his best shot"; "he took a stab at forecasting" [syn: shot, stab] v
1: use a knife on; "The victim was knifed to death" [syn: knife, stab]
2: stab or pierce; "he jabbed the piece of meat with his pocket knife" [syn: stab, jab]
3: poke or thrust abruptly; "he jabbed his finger into her ribs" [syn: jab, prod, stab, poke, dig]

Merriam Webster's

I. noun Etymology: Middle English stabbe Date: 15th century 1. a wound produced by a pointed weapon 2. a. a thrust of a pointed weapon b. a jerky thrust 3. effort, try 4. a sudden sharp feeling <stabs of regret> II. verb (stabbed; stabbing) Date: 1530 transitive verb 1. to wound or pierce by the thrust of a pointed weapon 2. thrust, drive intransitive verb to thrust or give a wound with or as if with a pointed weapon • stabber noun

Oxford Reference Dictionary

v. & n. --v. (stabbed, stabbing) 1 tr. pierce or wound with a (usu. short) pointed tool or weapon e.g. a knife or dagger. 2 intr. (often foll. by at) aim a blow with such a weapon. 3 intr. cause a sensation like being stabbed (stabbing pain). 4 tr. hurt or distress (a person, feelings, conscience, etc.). 5 intr. (foll. by at) aim a blow at a person's reputation, etc. --n. 1 a an instance of stabbing. b a blow or thrust with a knife etc. 2 a wound made in this way. 3 a blow or pain inflicted on a person's feelings. 4 colloq. an attempt, a try. Phrases and idioms: stab in the back n. a treacherous or slanderous attack. --v.tr. slander or betray. Derivatives: stabber n. Etymology: ME: cf. dial. stob in sense 1 of v.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Stab Stab, v. i. 1. To give a wound with a pointed weapon; to pierce; to thrust with a pointed weapon. None shall dare With shortened sword to stab in closer war. --Dryden. 2. To wound or pain, as if with a pointed weapon. She speaks poniards, and every word stabs. --Shak. To stab at, to offer or threaten to stab; to thrust a pointed weapon at.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Stab Stab, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Stabbed; p. pr. & vb. n. Stabbing.] [Cf. OD. staven to fix, fasten, fr. stave, staff, a staff, rod; akin to G. stab a staff, stick, E. staff; also Gael. stob to stab, as n., a stake, a stub. Cf. Staff.] 1. To pierce with a pointed weapon; to wound or kill by the thrust of a pointed instrument; as, to stab a man with a dagger; also, to thrust; as, to stab a dagger into a person. 2. Fig.: To injure secretly or by malicious falsehood or slander; as, to stab a person's reputation.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Stab Stab, n. 1. The thrust of a pointed weapon. 2. A wound with a sharp-pointed weapon; as, to fall by the stab an assassin. --Shak. 3. Fig.: An injury inflicted covertly or suddenly; as, a stab given to character.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(stabs, stabbing, stabbed) 1. If someone stabs you, they push a knife or sharp object into your body. Somebody stabbed him in the stomach... Stephen was stabbed to death in an unprovoked attack nearly five months ago. VERB: V n, V to n 2. If you stab something or stab at it, you push at it with your finger or with something pointed that you are holding. Bess stabbed a slice of cucumber... Goldstone flipped through the pages and stabbed his thumb at the paragraph he was looking for... He stabbed at the omelette with his fork. VERB: V n, V n at n, V at n 3. If you have a stab at something, you try to do it. (INFORMAL) Several tennis stars have had a stab at acting. N-SING: a N at n/-ing 4. You can refer to a sudden, usually unpleasant feeling as a stab of that feeling. (LITERARY) ...a stab of pain just above his eye... She felt a stab of pity for him. N-SING: a N of n 5. If you say that someone has stabbed you in the back, you mean that they have done something very harmful to you when you thought that you could trust them. You can refer to an action of this kind as a stab in the back. She felt betrayed, as though her daughter had stabbed her in the back... PHRASE: V inflects 6. a stab in the dark: see dark

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

I. v. a. 1. Pierce, transfix, gore, spear, transpierce, pink, wound. 2. Wound, wound maliciously. 3. Injure secretly, malign, slander. II. n. 1. Thrust, cut, prick. 2. Wound, blow, dagger-stroke. 3. Injury, malicious thrust, covert wound.

Moby Thesaurus

Judas kiss, abrade, abrasion, ache, acute pain, afflict, aggrieve, agonize, ail, anguish, approach, assay, attempt, auger, barb the dart, bark, bayonet, betray, betrayal, bid, bite, blemish, blind guess, bloody, bold conjecture, bore, boring pain, break, broach, bruise, burn, chafe, charley horse, check, chip, claw, concussion, conjecture, convulse, countersink, crack, crackle, cramp, cramps, craze, crick, crucify, cut, cut up, dagger, darting pain, dig, dirk, distress, double-cross, drill, drive, duplicity, effort, empierce, endeavor, essay, excruciate, experiment, feint, fester, fix, flash burn, fling, fracture, fray, frazzle, fret, fulgurant pain, gall, gambit, gash, girdle pain, give pain, gnaw, gnawing, go, gore, gouge, gouge out, grate, grieve, grind, gripe, griping, guess, harm, harrow, hitch, hole, home thrust, honeycomb, hunch, hurt, hurt the feelings, impale, incise, incision, inflame, inflict pain, injure, injury, irritate, jab, jumping pain, kill by inches, kink, knife, lacerate, laceration, lance, lancinating pain, lesion, lick, lunge, maim, make mincemeat of, martyr, martyrize, maul, mortal wound, move, mutilate, mutilation, needle, nip, offer, pain, pang, paroxysm, pass, penetrate, perforate, perhaps, pierce, pin, pinch, pink, plunge, plunge in, poke, poniard, pop, prick, prolong the agony, prong, punch, puncture, put to torture, rack, ram, rankle, rasp, ream, ream out, rend, rent, riddle, rip, rough guess, rub, run, run through, rupture, saber, savage, scald, scorch, scotch, scrape, scratch, scuff, second-degree burn, seizure, sell out, sharp pain, shoot, shooting, shooting pain, shot, sink, skewer, skin, slap, slash, slit, sore, spasm, spear, speculation, spike, spit, sprain, stab wound, stabbing pain, stagger, step, stick, stiletto, sting, stitch, strain, stroke, strong bid, surmise, swing, sword, tap, tear, tentative, third-degree burn, thrill, throes, thrust, tormen, torment, torture, transfix, transpierce, trauma, traumatize, treachery, trepan, trephine, trial, trial and error, try, tweak, twinge, twist, twist the knife, twitch, undertaking, unverified supposition, whack, whirl, wild guess, wound, wounds immedicable, wrench, wring