1
: a tricky deceitful fellow
2
3
archaic
a
: a boy servant
b
: a male servant
c
: a man of humble birth or position
Synonyms
Examples of knave in a Sentence
he plays the role of the duplicitous knave who tries to foil the play's hero
Recent Examples on the Web
Alice begs for the knave’s freedom, putting herself in danger.
—
Liesbeth Powers, Dallas News, 27 May 2023
With 377 remaining options, my second word continued this theme with the mildly ironic ‘edits’ (no, rewriting Dahl’s books is not simply ‘editing’ you cowardly knaves).
—Erik Kain, Forbes, 19 Feb. 2023
However, having dispensed with the knave who was for a while also their ace, the Tories now must find a leader who can revive an electoral coalition that only Boris could ever have built.
—The Editors, National Review, 8 July 2022
But as Karl suggests, Trump was a knave, not a fool.
—Washington Post, 26 Nov. 2021
The supporting cast includes knaves and villans such as outlaw John Wesley Hardin, Mexican General Santa Anna and swindler Billy Sol Estes.
—John MacCormack, ExpressNews.com, 27 May 2020
Identifying Figueras as a fellow-knave, Cassidy gives him a delicate sin to commit.
—Anthony Lane, The New Yorker, 28 Feb. 2020
Anybody who makes firm predictions now is a fool or a knave.
—John Cassidy, The New Yorker, 28 Feb. 2020
The Founding Fathers were not unaware of the possibility that a demagogue or a knave might win the presidency.
—Ezra Klein, Vox, 6 Sep. 2018
Liesbeth Powers, Dallas News, 27 May 2023
With 377 remaining options, my second word continued this theme with the mildly ironic ‘edits’ (no, rewriting Dahl’s books is not simply ‘editing’ you cowardly knaves).
—Erik Kain, Forbes, 19 Feb. 2023
However, having dispensed with the knave who was for a while also their ace, the Tories now must find a leader who can revive an electoral coalition that only Boris could ever have built.
—The Editors, National Review, 8 July 2022
But as Karl suggests, Trump was a knave, not a fool.
—Washington Post, 26 Nov. 2021
The supporting cast includes knaves and villans such as outlaw John Wesley Hardin, Mexican General Santa Anna and swindler Billy Sol Estes.
—John MacCormack, ExpressNews.com, 27 May 2020
Identifying Figueras as a fellow-knave, Cassidy gives him a delicate sin to commit.
—Anthony Lane, The New Yorker, 28 Feb. 2020
Anybody who makes firm predictions now is a fool or a knave.
—John Cassidy, The New Yorker, 28 Feb. 2020
The Founding Fathers were not unaware of the possibility that a demagogue or a knave might win the presidency.
—Ezra Klein, Vox, 6 Sep. 2018
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'knave.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Knave.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/knave. Accessed 23 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
knave
noun1
knavish
adjective
ˈnā-vish
knavishly
adverb
Etymology
from earlier knave "a boy servant, a person of humble birth," from Old English cnafa "boy"
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