stabbed; stabbing
1
: to wound or pierce by the thrust of a pointed object or weapon
: to thrust or give a wound with or as if with a pointed weapon
stabber
noun
Synonyms
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
Christopher Goffard, Los Angeles Times, 9 Apr. 2024
Inside the home, firefighters found the bodies of 47-year-old Karen Denise Boswell and her 6-year-old son Ethan Stephens, both with stab wounds from a kitchen knife, according to Columbia County charging documents.
—Olivia Lloyd, Miami Herald, 5 Apr. 2024
One of the men had multiple stab wounds and was reported to be not breathing, dispatchers said.
—Ishani Desai, Sacramento Bee, 4 Apr. 2024
The victim managed to flee with a stab wound to the shoulder, and later saw the man again at the park eyeing other male hustlers.
—Longreads, 4 Apr. 2024
Police were called to a home in Fairfax County, Va., on Feb. 24, 2023 and found Christine Banfield, a mother and pediatric nurse, suffering from upper-body stab wounds and a man, Joseph Ryan, suffering from gunshot wounds nearby.
—Liam Quinn, Peoplemag, 3 Apr. 2024
His older brother suffered stab wounds to his neck and defensive injuries to his hand, police wrote in the warrant, and the child's preliminary cause of death was listed as a combination of sharp force injury and drowning.
—USA TODAY, 2 Apr. 2024
She's got some stab wounds on her hands and her face.
—Bill Hutchinson, ABC News, 28 Mar. 2024
Caruana said a Good Samaritan who stopped to help the woman also suffered stab wounds.
—Amy Simonson, CNN, 27 Mar. 2024
Gabrielle Rockson, Peoplemag, 9 Apr. 2024
By Bloomberg News April 5, 2024 4:00 AM EDT
The governor of Russia’s northwestern Murmansk region was stabbed in the stomach after a meeting with local residents, the most dangerous assault on a high-ranking government official in more than a decade.
—Bloomberg News, TIME, 5 Apr. 2024
The governor of Russia’s northwestern Murmansk region was stabbed in the stomach after a meeting with local residents, the most dangerous assault on a high-ranking government official in more than a decade.
—Bloomberg, Fortune Europe, 5 Apr. 2024
The three women rented the off-campus house in Moscow where they were stabbed to death while Chapin was staying the night with Kernodle, his girlfriend.
—Kevin Fixler, Idaho Statesman, 4 Apr. 2024
The toddler's mother was stabbed 28 times, according to the warrant, and suffered wounds to her face, neck and abdomen.
—USA TODAY, 2 Apr. 2024
Late Sunday, a Palestinian attacker stabbed three people in southern Israel, seriously wounding them, said the Hatzalah rescue service.
—Melanie Lindman, Wafaa Shurafa, arkansasonline.com, 1 Apr. 2024
Late March 31, a Palestinian attacker stabbed three people in southern Israel, seriously wounding them, said the Hatzalah rescue service.
—Melanie Lindman, Wafaa Shurafa, and Samy Magdy, The Christian Science Monitor, 1 Apr. 2024
Homicide: when the death is the result of another individual, such as from a shooting, stabbing or fight.
—Grace Toohey, Los Angeles Times, 30 Mar. 2024
Noun
Blaze Bernstein had been missing a week when investigators found his body buried under a thin layer of mud at Borrego Park in Lake Forest in January 2018, with 19 stab wounds to his neck.
—Christopher Goffard, Los Angeles Times, 9 Apr. 2024
Inside the home, firefighters found the bodies of 47-year-old Karen Denise Boswell and her 6-year-old son Ethan Stephens, both with stab wounds from a kitchen knife, according to Columbia County charging documents.
—Olivia Lloyd, Miami Herald, 5 Apr. 2024
One of the men had multiple stab wounds and was reported to be not breathing, dispatchers said.
—Ishani Desai, Sacramento Bee, 4 Apr. 2024
The victim managed to flee with a stab wound to the shoulder, and later saw the man again at the park eyeing other male hustlers.
—Longreads, 4 Apr. 2024
Police were called to a home in Fairfax County, Va., on Feb. 24, 2023 and found Christine Banfield, a mother and pediatric nurse, suffering from upper-body stab wounds and a man, Joseph Ryan, suffering from gunshot wounds nearby.
—Liam Quinn, Peoplemag, 3 Apr. 2024
His older brother suffered stab wounds to his neck and defensive injuries to his hand, police wrote in the warrant, and the child's preliminary cause of death was listed as a combination of sharp force injury and drowning.
—USA TODAY, 2 Apr. 2024
She's got some stab wounds on her hands and her face.
—Bill Hutchinson, ABC News, 28 Mar. 2024
Caruana said a Good Samaritan who stopped to help the woman also suffered stab wounds.
—Amy Simonson, CNN, 27 Mar. 2024
Verb
Woman Struck in Alleged Road Rage Incident Dies From Injuries
Akter was stabbed in Bradford, Yorkshire at 3:21 pm local time and later died from her injuries after being taken to the hospital.
—Gabrielle Rockson, Peoplemag, 9 Apr. 2024
By Bloomberg News April 5, 2024 4:00 AM EDT
The governor of Russia’s northwestern Murmansk region was stabbed in the stomach after a meeting with local residents, the most dangerous assault on a high-ranking government official in more than a decade.
—Bloomberg News, TIME, 5 Apr. 2024
The governor of Russia’s northwestern Murmansk region was stabbed in the stomach after a meeting with local residents, the most dangerous assault on a high-ranking government official in more than a decade.
—Bloomberg, Fortune Europe, 5 Apr. 2024
The three women rented the off-campus house in Moscow where they were stabbed to death while Chapin was staying the night with Kernodle, his girlfriend.
—Kevin Fixler, Idaho Statesman, 4 Apr. 2024
The toddler's mother was stabbed 28 times, according to the warrant, and suffered wounds to her face, neck and abdomen.
—USA TODAY, 2 Apr. 2024
Late Sunday, a Palestinian attacker stabbed three people in southern Israel, seriously wounding them, said the Hatzalah rescue service.
—Melanie Lindman, Wafaa Shurafa, arkansasonline.com, 1 Apr. 2024
Late March 31, a Palestinian attacker stabbed three people in southern Israel, seriously wounding them, said the Hatzalah rescue service.
—Melanie Lindman, Wafaa Shurafa, and Samy Magdy, The Christian Science Monitor, 1 Apr. 2024
Homicide: when the death is the result of another individual, such as from a shooting, stabbing or fight.
—Grace Toohey, Los Angeles Times, 30 Mar. 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
Phrases Containing stab
Dictionary Entries Near stab
Cite this Entry
“Stab.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/stab. Accessed 19 Apr. 2024.
Copy Citation
Kids Definition
stab
1 of 2 noun1
: 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
stabber
noun
Medical Definition
stab
1 of 2 noun1
: 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
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
Nglish: Translation of stab for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of stab for Arabic Speakers
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