knight

noun

\ ˈnīt

Definition of knight

(Entry 1 of 2)

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 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

verb

knighted; knighting; knights

Definition of knight (Entry 2 of 2)

transitive verb

: to make a knight of

Other Words from knight Example Sentences Learn More about knight

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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

Even Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, no knight in shining armor, is tepid on this national emergency business. — Lynn Yaeger, Vogue, "The Week in Washington: “They Try to Take You Out with Bullshit”," 3 Mar. 2019 Current members include Princes William, Charles, Andrew, and Edward, and Princess Anne, among other knights. — Rose Minutaglio, Harper's BAZAAR, "Why Prince Harry, Meghan Markle, and Kate Middleton Weren't at the Order of the Garter Service," 18 June 2018 Watch an extended version of the commercial here: The menacing knight, The Mountain (played by Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson) makes a cameo in the ad. — Erica Gonzales, Harper's BAZAAR, "Game of Thrones Just Recreated That Scene with The Mountain for a Super Bowl Ad," 4 Feb. 2019 Today, the Prince and the knight announced the launch of the billion-dollar project called the MenStar Coalition at the International AIDS conference AIDS2018 in Amsterdam. — Caroline Hallemann, Town & Country, "Prince Harry and Elton John Honor Princess Diana's Legacy with a New Coalition to Fight HIV," 24 July 2018 Normally, the pump-up video before a game in Vegas features lots of armored knights on skates pulling swords out of stones. — Charlotte Wilder, SI.com, "The Stanley Cup Final Display is for Vegas Locals and Game 1 Gave Them Ultimate Show," 29 May 2018 What's the more valuable piece, the knight or the bishop? Garry answers all these questions and more! — Arielle Pardes, WIRED, "Pinterest's New Feature Takes the Algorithm Out of Your Feed," 29 Mar. 2018 By early 2019, a 79,000-square-foot castle will open on the southeast corner of Pima Road and Via de Ventura near Scottsdale, welcoming all to feast utensil-free on a four-course dinner while watching knights battle for queen and color. — Scott Craven, azcentral, "Medieval Times breaks ground in Phoenix, to open in 2019," 6 Apr. 2018 Though Crusader knights gained brief access to Jerusalem in the following century, the invaders were finally driven from the Holy Land in 1291. — Andrew Lawler, Smithsonian, "A Crusader-Era High Altar Resurfaces in Jerusalem’s Holy Sepulcher," 16 Feb. 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

Knighthood Michael Caine The Dark Knight star was yes, knighted, in 2000. — Vogue, "Emma Thompson, Mick Jagger, and All the Celebrities Knighted by the British Royal Family," 7 Nov. 2018 The French knight Jean de Maingre, for example, could climb up the underside of a ladder using only his hands while in full armor. — David Hambling, Popular Mechanics, "The Overloaded Soldier: Why U.S. Infantry Now Carry More Weight Than Ever," 26 Dec. 2018 In 1999, he was made a Commander of the British Empire and was knighted in 2003. — Stephanie Nolasco, Fox News, "Roger Moore's daughter shares memories of growing up with James Bond star," 10 July 2018 He’s now Sir Barry Gibb after Prince Charles knighted him at a ceremony at Buckingham Palace in London. — Erin Ben-moche, latimes.com, "Knight fever: It's now Sir Barry Gibb to you," 26 June 2018 Former Liverpool player and manager Kenny Dalglish, 67, was also knighted for his services to soccer, charity and the city of Liverpool. — Fox News, "Queen Elizabeth II to honor Emma Thompson, Tom Hardy and Keira Knightley at Buckingham Palace," 9 June 2018 Everyday heroes will be announced and knighted at the event. — Sheryl Devore, Lake County News-Sun, "Take a day trip to the past at Bristol Renaissance Faire," 25 June 2018 Former Liverpool soccer great Kenny Dalglish was also knighted, as was historian and broadcaster Professor Simon Schama. — Laura Smith-spark, CNN, "Actress Emma Thompson made a dame in Queen's birthday honors list," 8 June 2018 Knighthood Queen Elizabeth II knighted him in 2017, the same year in which TIME named him one's 100 most influential people in the world. — Steven Litt, cleveland.com, "Sir David Adjaye, designer of African-American museum, to keynote Cleveland Foundation annual meeting May 1," 18 Mar. 2018

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.