stab

1 of 2

noun

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
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

intransitive verb

: to thrust or give a wound with or as if with a pointed weapon
stabber noun
Phrases
stab in the back
: betray

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
Responding officers found a man with one stab wound to his torso at the station. Lyndsay Winkley, San Diego Union-Tribune, 20 Apr. 2024 In addition to those killed, eight people, including a 9-month-old baby, were taken to the hospital with stab wounds. Hannah Hudnall, USA TODAY, 19 Apr. 2024 Officers arrived to find two men suffering from stab wounds. Jason Green, The Mercury News, 19 Apr. 2024 Quinn is the latest actor to take a stab at Johnny Storm on the big screen following Chris Evans and Michael B. Jordan. Zack Sharf, Variety, 17 Apr. 2024 In other words, there’s plenty of new material for Scary Movie to take a stab at. Aaron Couch, The Hollywood Reporter, 11 Apr. 2024 The judge urged the two sides to take a final stab at settling. David Enrich, New York Times, 10 Apr. 2024 Wildcard contestant Sir Lion took a stab at entering the competition. Dana Rose Falcone, Peoplemag, 28 Mar. 2024 Writer-director Chris Nash takes a stab at answering that question in his directorial debut, In a Violent Nature, which premiered earlier this year at the Sundance Film Festival. Mike Miller, EW.com, 20 Mar. 2024
Verb
In the eighth, Tatis sprinted and lunged to stab a shot from George Springer that was ticketed for extra bases. Bryce Miller, San Diego Union-Tribune, 22 Apr. 2024 When Lisa — a member of the compound who previously befriended Natalie — notices what’s going on and threatens to kill Natalie, Misty attempts to save her friend, but Natalie pushes Lisa out of the way to save her and is accidentally stabbed by Misty with a lethal injection. Skyler Trepel, Peoplemag, 21 Apr. 2024 Officers responding to a 911 call Saturday evening found a 32-year-old man who had been stabbed in the torso, a 40-year-old man with multiple stab wounds and a 28-year-old man who had been hit in the head with a bottle, police said Sunday in a statement provided to USA TODAY. John Bacon, USA TODAY, 21 Apr. 2024 At least two people were stabbed Saturday during a dispute on a party boat in New York City, authorities said. Louis Casiano, Fox News, 20 Apr. 2024 How a ‘cold-blooded killer’ called Smiley, who haunted L.A. for 14 years, finally faced justice. ‘Help me, help me’: A Metro bus driver is stabbed, reviving fears about safety. Kevinisha Walker, Los Angeles Times, 19 Apr. 2024 The garage where Berger had been stabbed and shot is Chanhassen AutoPlex, according to Bring Me The News. Mike Stunson, Kansas City Star, 16 Apr. 2024 Her nine-month-old daughter was also stabbed in the attack and received emergency surgery overnight. Helen Regan, CNN, 15 Apr. 2024 Sydney was hit by another stabbing incident on Monday, two days after a man stabbed six people to death in a busy shopping mall before being shot by a police officer. Patrick Smith, NBC News, 15 Apr. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'stab.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of stab was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near stab

Cite this Entry

“Stab.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/stab. Accessed 25 Apr. 2024.

Kids Definition

stab

1 of 2 noun
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
stabber noun

Medical Definition

stab

1 of 2 noun
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

stab

2 of 2 transitive verb
stabbed; stabbing
: to wound or pierce by the thrust of a pointed object or weapon

More from Merriam-Webster on stab

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!