saber

noun

sa·ber | \ ˈsā-bər

variants: or sabre

Definition of saber

(Entry 1 of 2)

1 : a cavalry sword with a curved blade, thick back, and guard

2a : a light fencing or dueling sword having an arched guard that covers the back of the hand and a tapering flexible blade with a full cutting edge along one side and a partial cutting edge on the back at the tip — compare épée, foil entry 4

b : the sport of fencing with the saber

saber

verb

variants: or sabre

sabered or sabred; sabering or sabring\ ˈsā-b(ə-)riŋ

Definition of saber (Entry 2 of 2)

transitive verb

: to strike, cut, or kill with a saber

Examples of saber in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

The comments by one of Russia’s most influential state television presenters during his Sunday prime-time wrap-up of the week’s news escalated Russia’s saber-rattling following the breakdown of a Cold War-era nuclear treaty with Washington. ... — Thomas Grove, WSJ, "Russia Names U.S. Targets of Nuclear Retaliation," 25 Feb. 2019 Swimming pool noodles will form the basis for light sabers. — Helene Stapinski, New York Times, "Brooklyn’s D.I.Y. Comic-Con," 14 June 2018 But the lachrymal saber, a unique aspect of these fish, had somehow gone overlooked. — Troy Farah, Smithsonian, "Why Did a Venomous Fish Evolve a Glowing Eye Spike?," 29 Mar. 2018 True to the genre’s cinematic conventions, sabers gleam, unlikely paths converge, guardsmen give chase, and close calls follow in quick succession. — Vann R. Newkirk Ii, The Atlantic, "Where Fantasy Meets Black Lives Matter," 6 Mar. 2018 The problem wasn’t saber-rattling by President Trump, but rather the difficulty of rebalancing the Chinese economy after decades of breakneck expansion. — Jon Sindreu, WSJ, "Trade War or Peace, Europe Can’t Escape a Chinese Slowdown," 3 Dec. 2018 Sometimes, the drag star posts are out of a horror movie: Think, a cheerful Ronald McDonald clown now with saber teeth, his yellow costume shredded into a half-shirt for a bondage flair. — Liana Satenstein, Vogue, "Charity Kase Is the London Drag Star Whipping Up Fantastical Looks," 5 Sep. 2018 In 2018 there’s a lot of saber-rattling between China and the US. — Eric Johnson, Recode, "Netflix will get ads, predicts the Trade Desk CEO Jeff Green," 15 Nov. 2018 The meeting takes place against the backdrop of much saber-rattling. — Zeina Karam, Fox News, "Iran summit seeks to avert a bloodbath in northwestern Syria," 6 Sep. 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

Below, Pelka counsels us on everything from how to select the perfect Champagne to how to safely saber your bottle of bubbly. — Madeleine Luckel, Vogue, "A Champagne Lover’s Guide to Hosting a Last-Minute Bastille Day Soirée," 13 July 2018 The most impressive way to kick off any Champagne-fueled party is to saber a bottle, popping the cork from the wine with the swipe of a knife. — Madeleine Luckel, Vogue, "A Champagne Lover’s Guide to Hosting a Last-Minute Bastille Day Soirée," 13 July 2018 Champagne bottles are sabered open with swords and free Lexus shuttles stop for anyone who doesn’t feel like walking more than a block. — Trevor Hughes, USA TODAY, "Diamonds, caviar and the Instagram-famous: Inside America's most exclusive food festival," 19 June 2018 Here's a step-by-step guide on how to saber a bottle of champagne. — Sam Dangremond, Town & Country, "How to Saber a Bottle of Champagne," 21 Dec. 2017 Michael Minnillo, the general manager of the French Laundry, the chef Thomas Keller’s elegant restaurant in Yountville, Calif., had just sabered open a bottle of Dom Pérignon, leaving the eyes of the teenagers wide. — Sam Sifton, New York Times, "Settle In for Winter With This Sausage Risotto," 18 Jan. 2018 Afterward, learn the Napoleonic tradition of sabering champagne bottles and bundle up for the Kettle One Ice Room, the world’s coldest vodka tasting room. — Destination Canada, Bon Appetit, "The Ultimate Guide to British Columbia’s Après-Ski Scene," 31 Oct. 2017 The most impressive way to kick off any Champagne-fueled party is to saber a bottle, popping the cork from the wine with the swipe of a knife. — Madeleine Luckel, Vogue, "A Champagne Lover’s Guide to Hosting a Last-Minute Bastille Day Soiree," 14 July 2017 A waiter with a ponytail has just sabered a bottle of champagne with a sword, and now a half-dozen topless cabaret dancers are swinging upside-down from the ceiling. — Eliot Stein, CNT, "Booking.com's Digital Travel Assistant Planned Our Trip to Paris," 10 Jan. 2017

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