knight

1 of 2

noun

1
a(1)
: a mounted man-at-arms serving a feudal superior
especially : a man ceremonially inducted into special military rank usually after completing service as page and squire
(2)
: a man honored by a sovereign for merit and in Great Britain ranking below a baronet
(3)
: a person of antiquity equal to a knight in rank
b
: a man devoted to the service of a lady as her attendant or champion
c
: a member of an order or society
2
: either of two pieces of each color in a set of chessmen having the power to make an L-shaped move of two squares in one row and one square in a perpendicular row over squares that may be occupied

knight

2 of 2

verb

knighted; knighting; knights

transitive verb

: to make a knight of

Examples of knight in a Sentence

Noun He was made a knight. Verb He is to be knighted by the Queen for his career as an actor.
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
Nestled in green mountains and supposedly named after a Moorish princess kidnapped by a Christian knight, Fátima commemorates other Virgin Mary sightings. Viet Thanh Nguyen, The New Yorker, 9 Sep. 2023 Bachelor – a young knight or a young student, so a bachelor of arts or even a kind of young apprentice showing kind of men making their way in the world. Abc News, ABC News, 8 Sep. 2023 Based on a true story, swords-and-sandals epic Antara will follow Antara ibn Shaddad, a slave in the sixth century who won his freedom and became a knight and one of the most famous poets in ancient Arabia. Alex Ritman, The Hollywood Reporter, 3 Sep. 2023 In its unoriginal premise — yet another knight trying to impress his lady! Ilan Stavans, BostonGlobe.com, 23 Aug. 2023 In power, their Cheka harnessed the esprit of a military-religious order of knights with the atrocious violence of a gangster hit squad. Time, 24 Aug. 2023 Members can be categorized as managers, devils, demons, wizards, masters, and knights. Matt Burgess, WIRED, 14 Aug. 2023 What kept me reading wasn’t the knights fighting space battles, but that one connection to my heritage. Lilly Peters, Seventeen, 25 July 2023 The Disney+ series expands on the story of Jedi knight Obi-Wan and his former padawan (apprentice) Darth Vader. Jazz Tangcay, Variety, 11 Aug. 2023
Verb
Sir Mark—Thompson was knighted in June by King Charles III—who will officially take over in early October, will find a network in crisis. Clare Malone, The New Yorker, 1 Sep. 2023 Born in Omaha on Dec. 29, 1932, Swenson was 15 when her father, an attorney and Swedish consul who was knighted by King Gustav V, died in a car accident. Mike Barnes, The Hollywood Reporter, 28 July 2023 The Northern Irish Branagh has directed and starred in many Shakespeare adaptations over the years and was knighted in 2012 for his work in film, according to BBC. Adam England, Peoplemag, 20 July 2023 Later that summer, he was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II and was in remission by that fall. Keith Langston, Peoplemag, 29 June 2023 Whoever was wielding the Dyson Airwrap for the princess deserves to be knighted because this is the dictionary definition of the ultimate wavy blowout. Kara Nesvig, Allure, 28 June 2023 Terry Waite, who was held hostage in Lebanon for nearly five years until late 1991, was also knighted for his services to charity. Pan Pylas, ajc, 16 June 2023 But just as he’s being knighted by Queen Valerin (Lorraine Toussaint, who could make a weather report sound regal), the sword he’s been handed emits a deadly ray that kills her. Frank Scheck, The Hollywood Reporter, 14 June 2023 He was knighted in January by King Charles III for services to Business and to Equality. Nicole Goodkind, CNN, 8 June 2023 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'knight.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English, from Old English cniht man-at-arms, boy, servant; akin to Old High German kneht youth, military follower

First Known Use

Noun

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

Verb

13th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of knight was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near knight

Cite this Entry

“Knight.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/knight. Accessed 21 Sep. 2023.

Kids Definition

knight

1 of 2 noun
1
a
: a warrior of olden times who fought on horseback, served a king, held a special military rank, and swore to behave in a noble way
b
: a man honored by a sovereign for merit and in Great Britain ranking below a baronet
2
: a chess piece that makes an L-shaped move
knightly
-lē
adjective or adverb

knight

2 of 2 verb
: to make a knight of
Etymology

Noun

Old English cniht "boy, attendant, warrior"

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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