knee

Pluralknees

Formsknees, kneeing, kneed

1. 1
   nouncountable

   The joint in the middle of your leg, where it bends.

   Like a hinge on a door that lets your leg bend and straighten.

   She fell and scraped her knee on the sidewalk.

   The doctor checked his knee after the soccer game.

   Note
2. 2
   verbtransitive

   To hit someone or something using your knee.

   Like giving a hard push, but with your knee instead of your hands.

   He kneed the attacker in the stomach and ran.

   Don't knee me so hard during practice.

3. 3
   nouncountable

   The part of pants or other clothing that covers the knee.

   Like the part of a sleeve that covers your elbow, but for the leg.

   The knee of his jeans had ripped during the climb.

   She sewed a colorful patch over the knee of her daughter's pants.

4. 4
   nouncountable

   A hit given with the knee.

   The fighter landed a knee to his rival's midsection.

   One hard knee left her gasping for breath.

5. 5
   nouncountable

   A sharp bend or corner in a line or shape.

   Like the bend in your leg, but in a line or a pipe.

   The pipe had a knee where it turned toward the wall.

   There is a sharp knee in the graph where prices jumped.

   Similarbend, elbow, kink, angle

6. 6
   nouncountable

   In horses and similar animals, the leg joint that matches the human wrist.

   Like our wrist, but on the front leg of a horse.

   The vet examined the horse's knee for swelling.

   The foal scraped its knee on the stable door.

7. 7
   nounfiguratively

   A parent's side, where a young child first learns about life.

   She learned her first songs at her grandmother's knee.

   He picked up the old stories at his father's knee.

   Similarside

   Note
8. 8
   nouncountable

   In birds, the leg joint that works like a human ankle.

   Like our ankle, but on a bird's leg.

   The bird's knee seems to bend backward as it hops along the branch.

   A heron stood still, the water just below its knee.

   Note
9. 9
   nouncountable

   In birds, the upper leg joint that is usually hidden under feathers.

   Like our knee, but tucked up high and hidden under feathers.

   A bird's true knee sits high up and is covered by feathers.

   You rarely see a chicken's knee because feathers hide it.

10. 10
    nouncountable

    A piece of wood or metal made with a sharp bend, shaped like a bent leg.

    Like a bent leg made of wood, used as a strong corner brace.

    The shipwright bolted a wooden knee between the deck and the hull.

    Each knee braced the corner where two beams met.

    Similarbracket, brace

    Note
11. 11
    verbreflexiveintransitive

    To move along on your knees.

    Like walking, but on your knees instead of your feet.

    The children knee across the wet grass to reach the ball.

    She kneed forward through the narrow crawlspace.

    Similarcrawl, creep, shuffle

    Note

Showing meanings only. Show all 13