putty knife

noun

Definition of putty knife

: an implement with a broad flat metal blade used especially for applying putty and for scraping

Examples of putty knife in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Take a nut driver or socket and wrench, loosen all hex head gasket screws, reposition the gasket using a putty knife to shove it into position, and retighten. — Roy Berendsohn, Popular Mechanics, "15 Things to Do Around the House Before the Holidays," 16 Nov. 2018 Apply the adhesive to the sawdust and mix with a putty knife. — Roy Berendsohn, Popular Mechanics, "Waste Not: 6 Things You Can Do With Sawdust and Wood Shavings," 20 Nov. 2018 Load spackling paste/compound on putty knife and draw it firmly across the crack, pressing in. — The Editors Of House Beautiful, House Beautiful, "How to Fix Holes or Cracks in Plaster," 11 Feb. 2015 First, use a utility knife and a putty knife to cut and scrape away the old caulk. — Brett Martin, Popular Mechanics, "8 Home Repairs You Should Never Put Off," 12 Sep. 2017 At Butler, Dale’s job was to grab a bucket of warm water and a putty knife and walk the bleachers at Hinkle Fieldhouse, whose beautiful windows broke from time to time, allowing birds to roost in the rafters. — Gregg Doyel, Indianapolis Star, "Doyel: A 68-year love affair with the Indy 500 started with a boy in an elm tree," 19 May 2018 To do so, first disconnect the spark plug and siphon out the fuel tank or remove it, then tip the mower back and give the deck a thorough scraping with a putty knife and a wire brush. — Timothy Dahl, Popular Mechanics, "How to Get Your Lawn Mower Ready for Spring," 8 Feb. 2018 Scrape off the excess using a putty knife if necessary and give it a good scrubbing with a grill brush or with some mild dish soap and sponge. — Susan Selasky, Detroit Free Press, "It's grilling season: Before firing up that grill, take time to clean," 23 May 2018 Rake remaining chunks of caulk from the joint using the hook end of a painter's five-in-one tool or a sharp putty knife. — Norman Becker, Popular Mechanics, "How to Remove Old Caulk in 6 Easy Steps," 20 Feb. 2018

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

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Dictionary Entries near putty knife

putty in someone's hands

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The first known use of putty knife was in 1841

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