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

Other Words from stab Synonyms More Example Sentences Phrases Containing stab Learn More About stab

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 Another big-hearted, light-as-air stab at something different — a good try. — Christopher Borrelli, chicagotribune.com, 24 Mar. 2022 McDormand and Washington are both in their 60s; their Macbeths are making a last stab at the throne. — Jake Coyle, ajc, 22 Dec. 2021 Ronin stab her father amid a scuffle with the Tracksuits. — Los Angeles Times, 1 Dec. 2021 Inside, police found 74-year-old Bobbie Hill with multiple stab wounds. — Sarah Nelson, The Indianapolis Star, 4 May 2022 Officers found Davis with stab wounds in the road around 2:45 p.m. in the 1100 block of Southview Drive, where he was pronounced dead. — Washington Post, 3 May 2022 Police responded and transported one male victim in his 20s to a local hospital for treatment to stab wounds. — Paul Best, Fox News, 25 Apr. 2022 Shulman, head of Gazprom’s Invest transport service, was found with stab wounds to his wrists, while Tyulyakov was found hanged in a garage. — Chloe Taylor, Fortune, 25 Apr. 2022 Police on Tuesday found the bodies of two Russian women — a 53-year-old mother and an 18-year-old daughter — with stab wounds in bed in their house in the popular tourist town of Lloret de Mar, just north of Barcelona. — CiarÁn Giles, ajc, 22 Apr. 2022 Recent Examples on the Web: Verb The men continued to stab the victim, and both men later ran away, police said. — Olivia Mitchell, cleveland, 28 Apr. 2022 Other images show someone appearing to try and stab a man sitting down with a sharp object. — Fox News, 21 Apr. 2022 The previous day, Turner, who is fifty-six and has been sleeping at a city shelter, had been arrested on the Upper West Side for allegedly stealing bed comforters from a department store and threatening to stab an employee. — Eric Lach, The New Yorker, 9 Oct. 2021 Assistant District Attorney Mark Dahl told the jury that Glover confessed to police and didn't stab Jolly in self-defense. — Compiled Democrat-gazette Staff From Wire Reports, Arkansas Online, 27 Mar. 2022 Allen Alonzo Coe pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in the Oct. 25, 2020, killing of 33-year-old Choi, attempted first-degree murder for trying to stab Choi’s girlfriend Jenny Kwon and first-degree burglary. — oregonlive, 18 Mar. 2022 On the day of the killing, Dearce returned home early from work, found Lehmann in the home, cornered him in a bathroom, and used a knife to stab and slash the victim 57 times, prosecutors said. — courant.com, 8 Mar. 2022 Her attorney, Marwan Porter, told reporters that an older girl at the facility once threatened to stab Whims over a piece of chocolate. — Washington Post, 17 Feb. 2022 More stabbings occurred along Central Avenue and another call came in at 2 p.m. regarding a man trying to stab people outside a convenience store, according to the Albuquerque Police Department. — Fox News, 15 Feb. 2022 See More

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.