knight

play

noun \ˈnīt\

Definition of knight

1a (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 rankb : a man devoted to the service of a lady as her attendant or championc : 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

See knight defined for English-language learners

See knight defined for kids

Examples of knight in a Sentence

He was made a knight.

Recent Examples of knight from the Web

Pictured from left are John Maravecek, past grand knight; Tom West, state soccer challenge chairman; Israel Cortez Jr., International Soccer Challenge champion; Israel’s father, Israel Cortez Sr.

— michelle mullins, Naperville Sun, "Naperville People in the News", 5 July 2017
Michael Keaton’s caped crusader and Christian Bale’s are different as night (or knight?) and day.

— david frese, kansascity, "‘Spider-Man: Homecoming’ does whatever the other ‘Spider-Mans’ can — only better", 5 July 2017
This year’s Breath of the Wild features Link and Zelda grappling with their respective roles as knight and princess, much in the way teenagers must take on new, or more demanding, obligations.

— karen han, The Atlantic, "Coming of Age With The Legend of Zelda", 2 July 2017
My knight could jump everywhere and his queen was stuck.

— michael ciamarra, AL.com, "Alabama teen becomes US Chess Master, fast chess prize winners, half time top pick", 2 July 2017
The debt-laden, struggling drugstore had seen in WBA a white knight.

— phil wahba, Fortune, "Walgreen Scraps Rite Aid Deal and Will Instead Buy 2,200 Stores for $5 Billion", 29 June 2017
Ricciardo made Gerard Butler drink from his shoe at last year's U.S. Grand Prix—and a knight is nothing without tradition.

— sarah rense, Esquire, "Why Is Sir Patrick Stewart Chugging from a Shoe?", 12 June 2017
Four knights traveled to the cathedral, nonetheless, and killed him there.

— david perry, CNN, "Trump and Comey are no Henry and Becket", 9 June 2017
Male critic: pic.twitter.com/Dnf7tcONjI — Hannah Shaw-Williams (@HSW3K) June 4, 2017 Women-only #WonderWoman showing gives feminists/white knights/SJWs excuse to point fingers, would've created outrage had there been none.

— bridget dufour, Marie Claire, "15 Sexist Reactions to 'Wonder Woman' That Will Make Your Blood Boil", 6 June 2017

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

Origin and Etymology of knight

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

NEW!

First Known Use: before 12th century

See Words from the same year

knight

verb

Definition of knight

transitive verb
: to make a knight of

See knight defined for English-language learners

Examples of knight in a Sentence

He is to be knighted by the Queen for his career as an actor.

Recent Examples of knight from the Web

Sir Sir is most commonly a title given to a man knighted by the British monarch.

— karen mizoguchi, PEOPLE.com, "Is Beyoncé and JAY-Z’s Baby Named After a Famous Poet? Fans React to Names Rumi and Sir", 1 July 2017
For his charitable work, Moore was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II in 2003.

— the washington post, cleveland.com, "Roger Moore played James Bond as an impeccable, wisecracking lover", 23 May 2017

First Known Use of knight

13th century

KNIGHT Defined for English Language Learners

knight

play

noun

Definition of knight for English Language Learners

: a soldier in the past who had a high social rank and who fought while riding a horse and usually wearing armor
: a man who is given a special honor and the title of Sir by the king or queen of England
: a chess piece shaped like a horse's head

knight

verb

Definition of knight for English Language Learners

: to give (a man) the rank of a knight

KNIGHT Defined for Kids

knight

play

noun \ˈnīt\

Definition of knight for Students

1 : a warrior of the Middle Ages who fought on horseback, served a king, held a special military rank, and swore to behave in a noble way
2 : a man honored for merit by a king or queen of England and ranking below a baronet
3 : one of the pieces in the game of chess