knee

noun, often attributive \ ˈnē \

|Updated on: 17 Jul 2018

Definition of knee

1 a : 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

—

kneed

play \ˈnēd\ adjective

— to one's knees

: into a state of submission or defeat

See knee defined for English-language learners

See knee defined for kids

Examples of knee in a Sentence

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.

Recent Examples of knee from the Web

John Isner takes a knee during his match against Kevin Anderson.

— tom perrotta, WSJ, "Kevin Anderson Outlasts John Isner in a Five-Set Marathon at Wimbledon," 13 July 2018
The competition will involve fourth-rounder Marquis Haynes, Bryan Cox Jr. and Daeshon Hall, a third-round pick in 2017 who missed most of his rookie season with a knee injury.

— joseph person, charlotteobserver, "Is a Panthers defensive line with 3 Pro Bowlers and Julius Peppers underappreciated?," 12 July 2018
Tim Tebow taking a knee after a touchdown to honor God?

— nancy armour, USA TODAY, "Stick to sports? Cardinals' support of Supreme Court nominee shows NFL's hypocrisy," 10 July 2018
Players have been kneeling, sitting and raising fists during the national anthem in an effort to raise awareness for racial and social injustice in America since Colin Kaepernick took a knee before a preseason game in 2016.

— chris chavez, SI.com, "NFLPA Files Grievance Over NFL's New National Anthem Policy," 10 July 2018
Camila returns After missing almost nine months of action because of a knee injury, midfielder Camila made her first appearance of the season for Orlando on Saturday.

— mike gramajo, Pro Soccer USA, "Orlando Pride coach Tom Sermanni lauds team’s must-win mentality," 9 July 2018
By the tears and rage of American citizens who must take a knee or take to the streets to tell the world that Black Lives Matter.

— ronnie polaneczky, Philly.com, "Finding my own patriotism in the turmoil of America in 2018 | Ronnie Polaneczky," 3 July 2018
Not to mention that President Donald Trump can’t stop bashing the league for players taking a knee to protest black death during the national anthem.

— stephen a. crockett jr., The Root, "Outgoing Carolina Panthers Owner Hit With Light Fine by the NFL for Being an Insufferable Sexual Miscreant," 29 June 2018
In October last year, a group of activist players, including the Eagles' Malcolm Jenkins wrote a very strong piece for CNN under the headline Behind 'take a knee' lies this racial injustice.

— z. byron wolf, CNN, "Trump says NFL players protesting racial injustice don't have 'a real issue'," 15 June 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.