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

Police were called about 11:30 p.m. The waitress was taken to Piedmont Henry Hospital, where she was treated for the stab wound and other abrasions and released. — Chelsea Prince, ajc, "Applebee’s waitress was stabbed after she brushed up against diner’s leg, cops say," 13 July 2018 Surgery to evaluate internal injuries related to the stab wound resulted in an incision from the victim’s chest to his belly button that required 34 staples to close, the arrest warrant says. — Jesse Leavenworth, courant.com, "Manchester Police Arrest Suspect In Stabbing," 4 May 2018 Police said the stab wound was superficial and did not appear to have harmed the fetus. — Washington Post, "Second set of human bones found in SE," 28 Apr. 2018 Police say Tiffany's body had a laceration to her neck and stab wounds in her abdomen and chest. — Crimesider Staff, CBS News, "Cops: Woman accused of murdering wife called it a "mistake"," 6 Apr. 2018 Members of the court were shown a drawing of the multiple stabs to Wall's torso. — Jan M. Olsen, chicagotribune.com, "Murder trial begins for Danish inventor accused of killing journalist on submarine," 8 Mar. 2018 The latest stab is Il Solito, a new Italian-American restaurant taking over the former Pazzo space this spring. — Michael Russell, OregonLive.com, "New Italian-American restaurant coming to longtime Pazzo space with former Renata chef at the helm," 5 Mar. 2018 Like Navarro and Kudlow, Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., also called Trudeau's comments a stab in the back to Trump. — Maureen Groppe, USA TODAY, "Trump's team accuses Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau of stabbing him in the back," 10 June 2018 Kavanagh made another fine defensive play in the sixth with a diving stab in the hole and a strong throw to first to thwart a potential rally. — James Weber, Cincinnati.com, "Highlands baseball rolls past Paintsville in state quarterfinals," 9 June 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

Two people were injured when they were stabbed in Haverhill Friday night, officials said. — Alejandro Serrano, BostonGlobe.com, "Two people stabbed in Haverhill," 14 July 2018 Investigators say she was stabbed several times, including in the genitals. — NBC News, "Second guilty plea entered in transgender teen's gruesome death," 9 July 2018 Taylor Force, a West Point graduate and army veteran, was in Israel on a Vanderbilt University graduate program for global entrepreneurship in 2016 when he was stabbed to death by a terrorist. — Jewish Journal, "Israel passes law to cut funds over 'pay to slay' policy," 3 July 2018 Two boys, ages 15 and 12, were stabbed in West Baltimore on Wednesday night, Baltimore Police said. — Catherine Rentz, baltimoresun.com, "Two boys, ages 12 and 15, stabbed in West Baltimore," 28 June 2018 Image For days, the city has grieved Lesandro Guzman-Feliz, from the bodega where he was killed to the wake where the police commissioner was among the mourners to the funeral Mass on Wednesday, barely a half mile from where he was stabbed. — New York Times, "Bronx Mourns Teenager Killed in Vicious Attack," 27 June 2018 Witnesses say Coggins was stabbed 30 times and dragged behind a pickup truck for dating a white woman, according to the San Francisco Chronicle. — Montana Couser, The Root, "Georgia Man Sentenced to Life in Prison 35 Years After Racially Motivated Murder of Black Man," 26 June 2018 The case against a woman charged in her boyfriend's stabbing death has been dismissed. — Ivana Hrynkiw, AL.com, "Woman's reckless manslaughter case dismissed, judge says stabbing was in self defense," 16 Apr. 2018 Actor Corey Feldman took to Twitter on Wednesday to share photos of himself recovering from a stabbing attack. — Shanté Honeycutt, Billboard, "Corey Feldman Shares Details of Stabbing Attack," 29 Mar. 2018

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.