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Recent Examples of knap
And that’s mostly true; Neanderthals in both places used broadly similar techniques to make similar tools: triangular flakes and points, knapped from flint.
—
ArsTechnica, 18 July 2025
If confirmed, our human ancestors started shaping bones by striking them at specific angles in a process known as knapping as much as 1.5 million years ago.
—Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 5 Mar. 2025
Rocks could be knapped, or shaped, into knife blades, spear points, ax heads, and more, allowing hunter-gatherers to take on new prey and use animal remains for clothing and other things.
—Nathaniel Scharping, Discover Magazine, 6 Apr. 2024
Our Paleolithic ancestors learned to knap delicate blades from round stone cobbles, hunt large game and cook their food.
—Herman Pontzer, Scientific American, 12 Dec. 2022
The course was jointly led by Ojibwe elders, who taught him how to knap flint, tan hides and build wigwams.
—Franz Lidz Meghan Dhaliwal, New York Times, 13 Sep. 2022
Knowing how to make a friction fire, or how to whittle a paddle out of a log, or how to knap stone arrowheads all have their place in a survival situation (particularly fire making).
—Jim Baird, Field & Stream, 3 Aug. 2020
There was the first time someone knapped and hafted a rock onto a spear shaft, and the first time someone strung up a bow.
—Tyler Freel, Outdoor Life, 19 Mar. 2020
His hair was unruly and his large, blunt fingers were usually fishing for a cigarette, except when preoccupied with his favourite hobby: knapping prehistoric flint tools.
—1843, 20 Feb. 2020
ArsTechnica, 18 July 2025
If confirmed, our human ancestors started shaping bones by striking them at specific angles in a process known as knapping as much as 1.5 million years ago.
—Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 5 Mar. 2025
Rocks could be knapped, or shaped, into knife blades, spear points, ax heads, and more, allowing hunter-gatherers to take on new prey and use animal remains for clothing and other things.
—Nathaniel Scharping, Discover Magazine, 6 Apr. 2024
Our Paleolithic ancestors learned to knap delicate blades from round stone cobbles, hunt large game and cook their food.
—Herman Pontzer, Scientific American, 12 Dec. 2022
The course was jointly led by Ojibwe elders, who taught him how to knap flint, tan hides and build wigwams.
—Franz Lidz Meghan Dhaliwal, New York Times, 13 Sep. 2022
Knowing how to make a friction fire, or how to whittle a paddle out of a log, or how to knap stone arrowheads all have their place in a survival situation (particularly fire making).
—Jim Baird, Field & Stream, 3 Aug. 2020
There was the first time someone knapped and hafted a rock onto a spear shaft, and the first time someone strung up a bow.
—Tyler Freel, Outdoor Life, 19 Mar. 2020
His hair was unruly and his large, blunt fingers were usually fishing for a cigarette, except when preoccupied with his favourite hobby: knapping prehistoric flint tools.
—1843, 20 Feb. 2020
Recent Examples of Synonyms for knap
Verb
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The show brims with stories that once chiseled their way out of one determined Black, Indigenous woman’s heart and hands.—
Tyehimba Jess,
ARTnews.com,
17 Apr. 2026
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The second episode is largely confined to the dark walls which Irons’ next-door prisoner, a cleric known as the Abbé Faria, has spent years trying to painstakingly chisel his way through.—
Jon O'Brien,
IndieWire,
19 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Another is to carve the show closer to the bone, skipping over the contextual padding and focussing on the hundred and seventy-five pieces by Raphael.—
Zachary Fine,
New Yorker,
20 Apr. 2026
-
This site, the former capital of the Cherokee Nation, sits in a green valley carved by the confluence of Georgia's Coosawattee and Conasauga rivers.—
Keith Sharon,
USA Today,
19 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Tobolowsky came late to sculpture, at least as a profession.—
Tribune News Service,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
8 Nov. 2025
-
Semi-wild pigs snuffle beneath the huge granite boulders, solid and immutable as Henry Moore sculptures, that define this otherworldly landscape.—
Catherine Fairweather,
Condé Nast Traveler,
1 July 2025
Verb
-
Las acciones de Google son especialmente insensibles y graves ante el cierre administrativo temporal del gobierno (shutdown), ignorando las peticiones de funcionarios gubernamentales y organizaciones hispanas que les solicitaron mantener la programación de Univision en el paquete principal.—
Todd Spangler,
Variety,
1 Oct. 2025
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Better yet, the superstar—who recently graved our TV screens on The White Lotus—worked with stylist Brett Alan Nelson to deliver custom outfits for the set.—
Christian Allaire,
Vogue,
19 Apr. 2025
Verb
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Standing for the first time free of coffles on his feet, a man holds his broken chain aloft in a gesture that predates the Black Power fist that would become popular a century after this sculpture was hewn from rock.—
Tyehimba Jess,
ARTnews.com,
17 Apr. 2026
-
The Elysium Spa is an actual cave spa hewn from rock.—
Travel + Leisure Editors,
Travel + Leisure,
15 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The result is a wearable version that's easy to integrate into everyday looks and adds flair to your fits without feeling overly sculpted.—
Tanya Sharma,
PEOPLE,
9 Apr. 2026
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Pair them with the Everyday Short Sleeve Tee for a sleek and sculpted look while sightseeing.—
Katie Jackson,
Travel + Leisure,
8 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The newscast cut the bodycam footage after his entry to protect her identity, but Vogel proudly said there was no cause for concern.—
Angel Saunders,
PEOPLE,
18 Apr. 2026
-
In April 2009, a unanimous council — including first-year member Todd Gloria — embraced Sanders’ plan to impose a 6% cut in pay and benefits for city workers, cutting the shortfall in half.—
U T Editorial Board,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
18 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Knap.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/knap. Accessed 24 Apr. 2026.
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