knead

verb

ˈnēd 

kneaded; kneading; kneads

transitive verb

1

a

: to work and press into a mass with or as if with the hands

kneading dough

b

: to manipulate or massage with a kneading motion

kneaded sore neck muscles

2

: to form or shape by or as if by kneading

kneadable

ˈnē-də-bəl 

adjective

kneader noun

Examples of knead in a Sentence

Knead the dough until it is smooth.

Recent Examples on the Web

The dough is kneaded entirely by hand, but a stand mixer will make quick work of a batch. — Nina Moskowitz, Bon Appetit Magazine, 20 Aug. 2026

Get the 15-inch size to save cabinet storage space in a compact kitchen, or opt for larger sizes to be your go-to for everything from meal prep to kneading homemade bread. — Caley Sturgill, Southern Living, 20 Aug. 2026

The camera then cut to Gomez cracking an egg into dough and kneading the pasta into shape, before feeding it into a machine while her husband cheered her on. — Madison E. Goldberg, PEOPLE, 23 July 2026

The animal kneaded them by turns, left and right, which produced a soft tearing sound. — Literary Hub, 22 July 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle English kneden, from Old English cnedan; akin to Old High German knetan to knead

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Rhymes for knead

• bead
• bleed
• brede
• breed
• cede
• creed
• deed
• feed
• freed
• greed
• heed
• keyed

Kids Definition

knead

verb

ˈnēd 

1

: to work and press into a mass with or as if with the hands

2

: to treat as if by kneading : massage

kneader noun