stab

[stab] /stæb/
verb (used with object), stabbed, stabbing.
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), stabbed, stabbing.
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.
noun
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.
Idioms
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
Related forms
restab, verb, restabbed, restabbing.
unstabbed, adjective
Synonyms
1. spear, penetrate, pin, transfix.

stab.

1.
stabilization.
2.
stabilizer.
3.
stable.
Examples from the web for stab
  • She chirpily replied that the mer-cats should find a sharp rock and then stab the octopus till it died.
  • On such a day here, the surrounding peaks stab into clouds while fog droops into valleys below.
  • Much of the city is still underground, and nearly every stab of a shovel yields something new.
  • One little worm can shoot a harpoon out of its head to stab its prey.
  • It's the first stab at understanding how dark matter might have affected early stars.
  • Science has taken a stab at the question, too, and the range of answers might be surprising.
  • Yeah, keep complaining about how bad you have it as you stab yourself in the eye.
  • It estimates your annual and lifetime energy production and takes a stab at the rate of return on your investment.
  • Prior to that he had sustained stab wounds, bites and often came home with bruises.
  • So let me try to take a quick stab at the clash of cultures exemplified by the articles linked above.
British Dictionary definitions for stab

stab

/stæb/
verb stabs, stabbing, stabbed
1.
(transitive) to pierce or injure with a sharp pointed instrument
2.
(transitive) (of a sharp pointed instrument) to pierce or wound: the knife stabbed her hand
3.
when intr, often foll by at. to make a thrust (at); jab: he stabbed at the doorway
4.
(transitive) to inflict with a sharp pain
5.
stab in the back
  1. (verb) to do damage to the reputation of (a person, esp a friend) in a surreptitious way
  2. (noun) a treacherous action or remark that causes the downfall of or injury to a person
noun
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)
Derived Forms
stabber, noun
Word Origin
C14: from stabbe stab wound; probably related to Middle English stob stick
Word Origin and History for stab
v.

late 14c., first attested in Scottish English, apparently a dialectal variant of Scottish stob "to pierce, stab," of uncertain origin, perhaps a variant of stub (n.) "stake, nail." Figurative use, of emotions, etc., is from 1590s. Related: Stabbed; stabbing.

n.

"wound produced by stabbing," mid-15c., from stab (v.). Meaning "a try" first recorded 1895, American English. Stab in the back "treacherous deed" is first attested 1916.

Slang definitions & phrases for stab

stab

noun

A try; crack, shot, whack: Well, I'll have a stab at it (1895+)


stab in Technology

language
A descendent of BCPL.
(1996-08-25)

Idioms and Phrases with stab

stab

In addition to the idiom beginning with stab also see: make a stab at