stab

1 of 2

noun

ˈstab 

1

: a wound produced by a pointed object or weapon

2

a

: a thrust of a pointed weapon

b

: a jerky thrust

3

: effort, try

I'll take a stab at it.

4

: a sudden sharp feeling

stabs of regret

stab

2 of 2

verb

stabbed; stabbing

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

stabber noun

see also:

stab in the back

Synonyms of stab

Noun

• puncture
• punch

Verb

• pierce
• puncture
• jab
• pick
• stick

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

Following the confrontation, the ex-Jet was hospitalized for more than a week with stab wounds to his upper right torso. —Jessica Schladebeck, New York Daily News, 28 Feb. 2026

The lyric is a direct stab at Cazzu, who dated Nodal for two years from 2022 to 2024; the pair even had a child together in 2023. —Maya Georgi, Rolling Stone, 28 Feb. 2026

Verb

The man, while resisting arrest, stabbed the police officer in the leg, according to the Duluth Police Department. —Riley Moser, CBS News, 22 Feb. 2026

During the brawl, a 23-year-old man was stabbed in the armpit with a sharp object, cops said. —Rebecca White, New York Daily News, 21 Feb. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English stabbe

First Known Use

Noun

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1530, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Phrases Containing stab

• a stab in the dark
• give it a stab
• have a stab at
• stab in the back
• take/make a stab at

Rhymes for stab

• ab
• cab
• crab
• dab
• drab
• fab
• gab
• grab
• jab
• lab
• mab
• nab

Kids Definition

stab

1 of 2 noun

ˈstab 

1

: a wound produced by a pointed object or weapon

2

: a thrust of a pointed weapon

3

: effort sense 2, try

I'll take a stab at it

stab

2 of 2 verb

stabbed; stabbing

1

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

2

: thrust entry 1 sense 1, drive

stabber noun

Medical Definition

stab

1 of 2 noun

ˈstab 

1

: a wound produced by a pointed object or weapon

2

a

: a culture medium solidified in an upright column in a tube to reduce the surface to a minimum compare slant

b

: stab culture

stab

2 of 2 transitive verb

stabbed; stabbing

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