stab

noun

\ 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

Plus, there was the fact that the gross Euron had managed to inflict a fair few stab wounds onto Jaime earlier in the episode, so the odds weren’t exactly in his favor. — Lucy Wood, Marie Claire, "This 'Game of Thrones' Theory Suggests Jaime Lannister Didn't Really Die," 17 May 2019 One had a visible wound to the head and stab wounds to the torso, and the ship's doctor pronounced that crew member dead. — Fox News, "Fishing crew member charged with murder in attack at sea," 25 Sep. 2018 Fortnite is making its way to Android, but not until Samsung device owners get a stab at it first... for a measly couple of days. — Makena Kelly, The Verge, "Samsung’s Fortnite exclusive will expire before the Note 9 even launches," 9 Aug. 2018 The man who suffered a 6-inch-deep stab wound to the stomach, Terry Honore, is expected to make a full recovery, KTEN reported. — Matthew Martinez, star-telegram, "They went to see ‘The First Purge.’ He stabbed a man over a reserved seat, Texas cops say," 12 July 2018 Desperate to find money to pay for yet another stab at the prize, he and his friends are caught breaking into a second-hand bookstore. — Clarence Tsui, The Hollywood Reporter, "'Respeto': Film Review," 11 July 2018 Corchado's stabs at poetic language sometimes fall short, and some digressions are confusing. — Jill Leovy, chicagotribune.com, "A personal perspective on Mexico's mass exodus to the United States," 2 July 2018 The Moroun family that owned the station for a quarter century before selling it to Ford recently installed all new windows in the past couple of years as a partial stab at restoration. — John Gallagher, Detroit Free Press, "Restoring Michigan Central Station will take years — and lots of money," 17 June 2018 Though it was originally released 91 years ago, Lang's early stab at a silver screen dystopia still feels amazingly fresh. — Jennifer M. Wood, WIRED, "The 7 Best Sci-Fi Movies You Can Stream Right Now, From Rogue One to The Matrix," 22 May 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

Eve found Villanelle in her apartment, and after some will-she-won't-she tension, stabbed her in the stomach. — Chloe Foussianes, Town & Country, "A Quick Recap of Killing Eve Season One, Before the Hit Show Returns," 5 Apr. 2019 Louisville Metro police have arrested a suspect after a man was stabbed and later died in South Louisville early Sunday morning. — Thomas Novelly, The Courier-Journal, "Woman accused of stabbing a man to death in South Louisville," 24 June 2018 The monster is eventually stabbed to death in remarkably low-tech fashion. — Sam Machkovech, Ars Technica, "The Meg film review: We’re going to need a stupider boat," 10 Aug. 2018 Courtesy Grand Prairie Police Department Someone stabbed Ray 46 times and then, in an apparent attempt to destroy evidence, set items on the kitchen stove and turned on the burners. — Deanna Boyd, star-telegram, "He worked to steer troubled youths from crime, but Ray Hernandez died a murder victim," 2 July 2018 One of the suspects had been stabbed and was transported to a nearby hospital with lacerations to his head and torso. — Ruth Bruno, courant.com, "Stabbing Near Blue Hills Avenue, 2 Men Arrested," 19 June 2018 Last month, Christopher Weise was stabbed in downtown Placerville. — Kellen Browning, sacbee, "Police seek Placerville stabbing victim who stabbed back at his attacker," 17 June 2018 Adhia said other common scenarios in the study were fights escalating into deadly gun violence or stabbing. — Brittney Mcnamara, Teen Vogue, "Teen Girls Are Killed By a Current or Ex Partner More Often Than We Think," 18 Apr. 2019 The sequence shows Leaf stabbing the heart of a man with a shard of dragonglass, causing his eyes to turn blue, showing his transformation into a White Walker. — Erica Gonzales, Harper's BAZAAR, "The True Origins of the White Walkers' Terrifying Spiral Symbol in Game of Thrones," 15 Apr. 2019

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.