edge tool used as a cutting instrument; has a pointed blade with a sharp edge and a handle
"He reached for the kitchen knife to slice the bread, admiring its sharp edge and comfortable handle."
a weapon with a handle and blade with a sharp point
"The robber pulled out a knife to threaten the cashier before making his escape."
A utensil or a tool designed for cutting, consisting of a flat piece of hard material, usually steel or other metal (the blade), usually sharpened on one edge, attached to a handle. The blade may be pointed for piercing.
"She pulled out her pocket knife to slice the tough steak while waiting at the table."
In plain English: A knife is a tool with a sharp metal blade used for cutting things.
"He used a sharp knife to slice the bread."
Usage: Use "knife" to refer specifically to the handheld tool with a sharp blade used for cutting or piercing food and other materials. Do not confuse it with verbs like "to knife," which means to stab or cut someone, as the noun strictly denotes the physical object itself.
To cut with a knife.
"She carefully sliced the tomato into thin rounds with her kitchen knife."
In plain English: To knife someone means to stab them with a sharp object.
"He decided to knife out of the argument before things got too heated."
Usage: Use "knife" as a verb to describe cutting something sharply and quickly with a blade or in a stabbing motion. Avoid using it when simply referring to slicing food slowly or casually without the element of speed or precision.
The word "knife" comes from Old Norse knífr, which originally meant "to pinch." It entered Middle English as knyf and eventually replaced older native terms like sax and borrowed words like coutel.