blade

noun \ ˈblād \

|Updated on: 17 Jun 2018

Examples: blade in a Sentence

Definition of blade

1 a : leaf 1a(1); especially : the leaf of an herb or a grass

b : the flat expanded part of a leaf as distinguished from the petiole

2 : something resembling the blade of a leaf: such as

a : the broad flattened part of an oar or paddle

b : an arm of a screw propeller, electric fan, or steam turbine

c : the broad flat or concave part of a machine (such as a bulldozer or snowplow) that comes into contact with the material to be moved

d : a broad flat body part; specifically : scapula —used chiefly in naming cuts of meat

e : the flat portion of the tongue immediately behind the tip; also : this portion together with the tip

3 a : the cutting part of an implement

b (1) : sword

(2) : swordsman

(3) : a dashing lively man

c : the runner of an ice skate

—

bladelike

play \-ˌlīk\ adjective

See blade defined for English-language learners

See blade defined for kids

Examples of blade in a Sentence

the blade of an ax
dueled with blades rather than guns

Recent Examples of blade from the Web

Anatomy of an Engine Failure An engine fan blade came loose on Southwest flight 1380 causing the engine to fail and forcing an emergency landing.

— andy pasztor, WSJ, "FAA Moved Slower Than Usual on Engine Warning Ahead of Southwest Fatality," 20 May 2018
Door knobs, orange juice container caps, egg cartons, wine bottle corks, doll heads, and fan blades were just some of the materials used to create sculptures, lamps, textiles, and encaustics.

— denise coffey, Courant Community, "Trashion Show's Message: Reduce, Reuse, Recyle," 16 May 2018
Details on the explosion, fatal accident An engine fan blade is among the potential sources of problems that led to the engine explosion on a flight between New York and Dallas on Tuesday, April 17.

— dawn gilbertson, azcentral, "Southwest Airlines: Bookings fell after fatal accident," 26 Apr. 2018
The airline stressed that the related cancellations are not the result of a directive last Friday by the FAA but rather its earlier decision to voluntarily hasten checks of the engine fan blades.

— lori weisberg, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Southwest engine inspections force flight cancellations in San Diego, across the nation," 23 Apr. 2018
The accelerated checks are ultrasonic inspections of fan blades of the CFM56 engines, which are manufactured in a joint venture of General Electric Co. and France's Safran Aircraft Engines.

— stephen singer, courant.com, "Southwest Airlines Flight Cancellations Rise With Engine Inspections," 23 Apr. 2018
Once the plane was on the ground, investigators discovered that a fan blade was missing from the plane’s operating engine.

— liam stack and matt stevens, New York Times, "Southwest Airlines Engine Explodes in Flight, Killing a Passenger," 17 Apr. 2018
The rubber stretches to fit most adult fingers, and the minuscule ceramic blade is much safer around skin than the razor sharp metal alternative.

— judi dash, Philly.com, "Gadget Guru: Nimble One Finger Safety Cutter," 23 Mar. 2018
The blades, manufactured by LM Wind Power, will be longer than a soccer field.

— jeremy hodges, Bloomberg.com, "GE Unveils the World's Most Powerful Wind Turbine," 1 Mar. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'blade.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of blade

Middle English, from Old English blæd; akin to Old High German blat leaf, Latin folium, Greek phyllon, Old English blōwan to blossom — more at blow

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: before 12th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1a

See Words from the same year

blade Synonyms

Synonyms

cutter, knife;

Related Words

cleaver, hack;

bayonet, bodkin, bolo, bowie knife, cutlass, dagger, dirk, jackknife, machete, pocketknife, poniard, sheath knife, stiletto, stylet, switchblade, yataghan;

rapier, saber (or sabre), steel, sword;

scalpel;

Other Botany Terms

annual, burgeon, chloroplast, nomenclature, succulent, sylvan, xylem

blade

verb

Definition of blade

bladed; blading

transitive + intransitive

1 T golf : to hit (a ball or shot) with the leading edge of the clubface : skull

I hit a wedge from 45 yards and basically bladed it over the green.
—Tiger Woods

2 I : to skate on in-line skates

Connect a pair of these wild things to your feet and you are blading—cruising with all the cool of ice skating but without the ice.
—Bob Batz Jr.

—

blader

play \ˈblā-dər\ noun

Recent Examples of blade from the Web

Burr grinders, as opposed to blade grinders, grind the coffee more evenly and consistently.

— rachel marlowe, Vogue, "How to Make the Perfect Cup, According to California’s Coolest Coffee Brand," 5 July 2017
Sami Vatanen had a clear shot at goalie Cam Talbot but missed up high, and Andrew Cogliano had a chance to blade a puck out of the air at close range.

— mark whicker, Orange County Register, "Whicker: A new face stops the Ducks’ Game 7 jinx," 10 May 2017

First Known Use of blade

1959

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

NEW! Time Traveler

BLADE Defined for English Language Learners

blade

noun

Definition of blade for English Language Learners

: the flat sharp part of a weapon or tool that is used for cutting
: one of the flat spinning parts that are used on some machines to push air or water
: the wide flat part of an oar or paddle

BLADE Defined for Kids

blade

noun \ ˈblād \

Definition of blade for Students

1 : a leaf of a plant and especially of a grass

2 : the broad flat part of a leaf

3 : something that widens out like the blade of a leaf

the blade of a propeller

the blade of an oar

4 : the cutting part of a tool, machine, or weapon

a knife blade

5 : sword

6 : the runner of an ice skate

—

bladed

\ˈblā-dəd\ adjective

Medical Dictionary

blade

noun \ ˈblād \

medical Definition of blade

1 : a broad flat body part (as the shoulder blade)

2 : the flat portion of the tongue immediately behind the tip; also : this portion together with the tip

3 : a flat working and especially cutting part of an implement (as a scalpel)

Learn More about blade

See words that rhyme with blade Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for blade Spanish Central: Translation of blade Nglish: Translation of blade for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of blade for Arabic speakers

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blade

Definition of blade

bladelike

Examples of blade in a Sentence

Recent Examples of blade from the Web

Origin and Etymology of blade

blade Synonyms

Synonyms

Related Words

Other Botany Terms

blade

Definition of blade

blader

Recent Examples of blade from the Web

First Known Use of blade

Phrases Related to BLADE

Related Phrases

BLADE Defined for English Language Learners

blade

Definition of blade for English Language Learners

BLADE Defined for Kids

blade

Definition of blade for Students

bladed

Medical Dictionary

blade

medical Definition of blade

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