stab

noun

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\ ˈstab

Definition of stab

(Entry 1 of 2)

1 : a wound produced by a pointed object or weapon

2a : a thrust of a pointed weapon

b : a jerky thrust

3 : effort, try

4 : a sudden sharp feeling stabs of regret

stab

verb

stabbed; stabbing

Definition of stab (Entry 2 of 2)

transitive verb

1 : to wound or pierce by the thrust of a pointed object or weapon

2 : thrust, drive

intransitive verb

: to thrust or give a wound with or as if with a pointed weapon

stab in the back

: betray

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Examples of stab in a Sentence

Noun the injection left a small stab on her upper arm everybody will get a stab at solving the problem Verb He stabbed her with a dagger. The victim was stabbed in the chest five times.

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun Officers found the victim on the ground in front of the home with an apparent stab wound to her chest, police said. — Robin Goist, cleveland, "Woman fatally stabbed during argument with another woman at Akron home, police say," 1 July 2020 Two children and one woman are dead and a man found with stab wounds is in critical condition Sunday, Phoenix police said. — Alana Minkler, The Arizona Republic, "Police find 2 kids and a woman dead, man in critical condition with stab wounds in Phoenix," 29 June 2020 Imran Khan delivered the stab in a rambling budget speech in parliament, attacking his predecessors’ foreign policies and saying that Pakistan’s partnership with the United States in the war on terror was a mistake. — Time, "Pakistan's Prime Minister Says U.S. 'Martyred' Osama bin Laden," 26 June 2020 The Harris Poll has taken a stab at answering that question, surveying American attitudes about each company’s resolve, integrity, responsiveness and permanence. — David Meyer, Fortune, "The companies that have proved their value in this crisis," 15 June 2020 Some lawmakers have already taken a meager stab at immigration benefits for essential personnel. — Felipe De La Hoz, The New Republic, "America Owes More to Its “Essential” Immigrant Workers," 19 June 2020 Philadelphia Police Chief Inspector Scott Small told local station WPVI that the 27-year-old had suffered stab wounds and trauma to the head and face, and her body was found with both legs severed. — CBS News, "Arrest warrant issued in murder of Dominique Fells, Philadelphia black transgender woman killed in "heartless and cruel" slaying," 18 June 2020 That is not an especially helpful range of estimates, so a pair of physicists in the UK recently took another stab at it and arrived at a remarkably specific conclusion. — Daniel Oberhaus, Wired, "The Trouble With Counting Aliens," 18 June 2020 According to a complaint: In addition to the stab wounds, the Milwaukee County Medical Examiner's Office found evidence of blunt force trauma to Dzhyndzhyrystyy's head. — Jeff Rumage, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "A Brown Deer man was stabbed 56 times in a prostitution visit gone awry, complaint says," 12 June 2020 Recent Examples on the Web: Verb Eye-witness Lawrence Wort told Britain's Press Association news agency that people were sitting on the grass when a man shouted something unintelligible and began attempting to stab people. — NBC News, "American citizen among those killed in U.K. terror attack," 21 June 2020 The argument between the two was captured on phone video, including a portion where Moreira-Gonzalez threatened to stab the victim, police reports said. — Don Reid, Detroit Free Press, "Miami man charged in stabbing death of Texas man at Mich. motel," 16 June 2020 If that’s not enough, stab a stick into the ground in a sunny spot during midday. — Tim Macwelch, Outdoor Life, "10 Primitive Survival Skills that Will Keep You Alive," 26 May 2020 As a result, rumors began to circulate that Germany’s new, civilian government—and other popular scapegoats, such as Marxists and Jews—had stabbed the military in the back. — Erin Blakemore, National Geographic, "Why Germany surrendered twice in World War II," 6 May 2020 On February 4th three foreigners were stabbed in a suburb of Malé, the capital. — The Economist, "A tale of two viruses Jihad is as contagious as covid-19 in the Maldives," 19 Mar. 2020 There, Sarra stabbed her mother 227 times, as well as hit her with a fire extinguisher. — Kaitlin Reilly, refinery29.com, "The Heartbreaking Ending You Didn’t See On Netflix’s Lost Girls," 18 Mar. 2020 As a wave of knife crime has commanded U.K. headlines, Hus has been arrested for carrying a blade, has been stabbed himself, and has been criticized as glorifying violence. — Spencer Kornhaber, The Atlantic, "The Rappers Who Are Breaking Up With Britain," 9 Mar. 2020 The pair is accused of fatally stabbing Mario Cerciello Rega, a 35-year-old Italian paramilitary policeman, in the early hours of July 26 after a drug deal gone wrong. — Guy Davies, ABC News, "Murder trial for American teens accused of killing Italian cop in Rome begins," 26 Feb. 2020

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