knee

noun, often attributive

\ˈnē

Definition of knee

(Entry 1 of 2)

1a : a joint in the middle part of the human leg that is the articulation between the femur, tibia, and patella also : the part of the leg that includes this joint

b(1) : the joint in the hind leg of a four-footed vertebrate that corresponds to the human knee

(2) : the carpal joint of the foreleg of a four-footed vertebrate

c : the tarsal joint of a bird

d : the joint between the femur and tibia of an insect

2 : something resembling the human knee: such as

a : a piece of timber naturally or artificially bent for use in supporting structures coming together at an angle (such as the deck beams of a ship)

b : a rounded or conical process rising from the roots of various swamp-growing trees cypress knee

3 : the part of a garment covering the knee

4 : a blow with the bent knee

to one's knees

: into a state of submission or defeat

knee

verb

kneed; kneeing

Definition of knee (Entry 2 of 2)

transitive verb

1 : to strike with the knee

2 archaic : to bend the knee to

Other Words from knee Example Sentences Learn More about knee

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Examples of knee in a Sentence

Noun

I fell down and hurt my knee. She suffered a serious knee injury. His knees trembled with fear. He got down on one knee and proposed to her. His little granddaughter sat on his knee. Her jeans had holes at the knees.

Verb

His attacker kneed him in the stomach.

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

On Instagram, Dove posted a photo of herself wearing a yellow plaid mini skirt, matching blazer, white T-shirt, cropped cardigan, knee socks, and heeled Mary Janes. — Avery Matera, Teen Vogue, "Here’s the First Look at Dove Cameron in “Clueless” and Wow," 29 Nov. 2018 Tight hips are right up there with lower-back pain and knee pain as modern-day ailments many adults deal with on the reg. — Amy Marturana, SELF, "13 Yoga Poses for Tight Hips," 24 Nov. 2018 Quicker Recoveries European researchers looked at outcomes of knee-replacement surgery in a trial with 50 patients. — Cheryl Stritzel Mccarthy, WSJ, "What You Need to Do Before Having Knee Surgery," 20 Nov. 2018 Weymouth police officers who responded to the scene returned fire, striking Lopes in his leg and knee. — Katherine Lam, Fox News, "Massachusetts police officer killed after attacked with rock, shot with own gun, officials say," 2 Oct. 2018 Glute Finisher: Banded Glute Bridge — 5 full bridges, then press knees out on the band 15 times Do 3 sets. — Amy Marturana, SELF, "The Total-Body Workout Celebrity Trainer Kira Stokes Does When She Only Has 20 Minutes to Exercise," 16 Nov. 2018 During meetings, Carlson says, Visich sat next to her and placed his hands on her thighs and knees in an unwelcome manner and stared at her chest. — Ben Guarino, The Verge, "An academic reported sexual harassment. Her university allegedly retaliated," 12 Nov. 2018 Betty's mom is knee-deep in some bizarre cult called The Farm, Archie's sweating it out in juvie, and a creepy game called Gryphons and Gargoyles is literally killing high schoolers. — Christopher Rosa, Glamour, "Why Is Riverdale So Thirsty This Season?," 31 Oct. 2018 Her version, however, was a knee-length double breasted coat. — Erica Gonzales, Harper's BAZAAR, "Kate Middleton Had a Princess Diana Moment in Her Gray Blazer," 30 Oct. 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

While the original Cary dress worn by the model features much more extreme thigh-high slits, Meghan’s own piece has clearly been adjusted to knee heigh—probably to adhere to royal protocol and expectations, and to avoid any annoying eyebrow-raises. — Lucy Wood, Marie Claire, "How Meghan Markle Altered Her Veronica Beard Shirt Dress so it Would Adhere to Royal Protocol," 26 Oct. 2018 The Cyclones also committed just eight turnovers against the league's leader in turnover margin despite missing point guard Nick Weiler-Babb to knee tendinitis. — USA TODAY, "Iowa State rolls past No. 15 West Virginia 93-77," 31 Jan. 2018 The department was already reeling after surveillance footage emerged of officers punching and kneeing an unarmed man in a May 23 arrest. — Ray Sanchez And Keith Allen, CNN, "Mesa, Arizona, police video shows officers punch, mock suspect," 14 June 2018 Officer Bojan Samardzic reportedly pulled out his pistol, which was followed by another officer grabbing Brown’s left arm and still another kneeing Brown in the groin. — Michael Mccann, SI.com, "Inside Sterling Brown’s compelling lawsuit against the Milwaukee Police Department and City of Milwaukee," 19 June 2018 Johnson's case received national attention after video showed officers kneeing and punching him multiple times before bringing him to the ground. — Uriel J. Garcia, azcentral, "Charges dropped against Robert Johnson, man brutally beaten by Mesa police," 14 June 2018 Mesa officers punch, knee man The Mesa Police Department released a video on June 5 showing an officer repeatedly punching and kneeing a man before he is pulled to the ground while other officers surround him. — Arizona Republic, azcentral, "These 6 body-cam videos have put Mesa police in national spotlight," 15 June 2018 Surveillance video also shows an officer kneeing him in the stomach. — CBS News, "Newly released bodycam videos show moments before Mesa officers beat unarmed man," 7 June 2018 Iguodala has a left lateral leg contusion and missed Game 4 due to knee soreness. — Charlotte Carroll, SI.com, "Andre Iguodala Making Progress to Rejoin Warriors in Game 5," 24 May 2018

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