kneeing

Pluralkneeings

1. 1
   nouncountable

   A blow delivered using the knee.

   The mixed martial artist won the bout with a brutal kneeing to the midsection.

   Repeated kneeings to the thigh left the defender limping off the field.

   Note

   Here the word becomes a countable noun: one kneeing, several kneeings. It takes articles and adjectives freely, as in a brutal kneeing or repeated kneeings. It names a single blow as an event, which suits reports of fights and fouls. The verb form describes the action as it happens; this noun counts the blows.

2. 2
   verb

   Present participle and gerund of knee.

   The wrestler was kneeing his opponent repeatedly in the clinch.

   Kneeing the heavy bag for an hour built up his stamina.

   Note

   The -ing form keeps both e's of knee, which helps tell it apart from kneeling. Today it almost always carries the striking sense and takes a direct object: kneeing an opponent in the ribs. An older transitive use meant kneeling to someone, as a subject before a ruler, and is now archaic. A reflexive use describes moving along on the knees.

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