1
as in understood
to have a practical understanding of
a career diplomat who knows several languages a fan who really knows baseball
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in experienced
to come to a knowledge of (something) by living through it
knows full well how nerve-racking it can be to speak in public
Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in saw
to have a clear idea of
I think I know what you're trying to say
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of knew
The president worked with Gifford Pinchot—the US Forest Service’s first leader—on a publicity campaign in this realm, and came to appoint a commission in 1903 that held public hearings and investigations the president knew would grab headlines.
—
JSTOR Daily, 7 Nov. 2025
Not the loss of titles, or the connections to Jeffrey Epstein, and of course, not how long the royal family knew about it without doing anything.
—Lizzie Lanuza, StyleCaster, 7 Nov. 2025
Controversial past Long before his association with OneCoin, John Gerant knew controversy.
—Miami Herald, 7 Nov. 2025
Back then, however, no one knew what physical substance or mechanism was actually responsible for traits being passed from a parent on to offspring, despite the pioneering genetics work of Gregor Mendel and his pea plants in the 19th century.
—Nell Greenfieldboyce, NPR, 7 Nov. 2025
The men knew each other, and Lewis sold drugs to Reyes in the past, police said.
—Emerson Clarridge, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 7 Nov. 2025
Who knew back then how significant those observations would become?
—Essence, 7 Nov. 2025
Prosthetics artist Mike Hill knew del Toro didn’t want a monster, but a character.
—Jazz Tangcay, Variety, 7 Nov. 2025
Bledel was one of the only people who knew Agena's real age for almost three years (though Lane was 16, Agena was 27 when the show premiered).
—Anika Reed, USA Today, 7 Nov. 2025
JSTOR Daily, 7 Nov. 2025
Not the loss of titles, or the connections to Jeffrey Epstein, and of course, not how long the royal family knew about it without doing anything.
—Lizzie Lanuza, StyleCaster, 7 Nov. 2025
Controversial past Long before his association with OneCoin, John Gerant knew controversy.
—Miami Herald, 7 Nov. 2025
Back then, however, no one knew what physical substance or mechanism was actually responsible for traits being passed from a parent on to offspring, despite the pioneering genetics work of Gregor Mendel and his pea plants in the 19th century.
—Nell Greenfieldboyce, NPR, 7 Nov. 2025
The men knew each other, and Lewis sold drugs to Reyes in the past, police said.
—Emerson Clarridge, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 7 Nov. 2025
Who knew back then how significant those observations would become?
—Essence, 7 Nov. 2025
Prosthetics artist Mike Hill knew del Toro didn’t want a monster, but a character.
—Jazz Tangcay, Variety, 7 Nov. 2025
Bledel was one of the only people who knew Agena's real age for almost three years (though Lane was 16, Agena was 27 when the show premiered).
—Anika Reed, USA Today, 7 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for knew
Verb
-
How gentle and precious to be understood.—
Julia Moore,
PEOPLE,
9 Nov. 2025
-
In handing down the sentence, Montenegro said Bonillo understood the scope of his misdeeds, abused his position of trust and used that position to enrich himself while undermining CBP’s main goal.—
Alex Riggins,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
8 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
That’s eight losses in four years — only one more than Flagg has experienced in 2½ weeks of playing in the NBA.—
Christian Clark,
New York Times,
9 Nov. 2025
-
As for the safety of the drug, about 10% of the adults taking enlicitide experienced serious adverse events during the study and a similar share, about 12%, of those taking a placebo experienced adverse events in the study.—
Jacqueline Howard,
CNN Money,
8 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
The trees were cut down, sawed in half, hollowed out and tied back together for the musicians to use.—
Doug Ross,
Chicago Tribune,
25 Aug. 2025
-
Fanatics shared the moment Tennessee Titans first overall pick, quarterback Cam Ward, saw Brady pop up on the screen to give him some wise words.—
Scott Thompson,
FOXNews.com,
6 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
Efforts to compete with Amazon during its ascent in the 2010s had department stores playing catchup on supply chain prowess and integrating stores with e-commerce—sometimes to the detriment of in-store experience.—
Phil Wahba,
Fortune,
7 Nov. 2025
-
But the political tensions inevitably had an impact.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
7 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
But along the way, some of that Bloomingdale’s DNA that made the store stand out, particularly the flagship, an internationally recognized, must-see destination with a global appeal, got lost.—
David Moin,
Footwear News,
10 Nov. 2025
-
Among the industry figures recognized this year is Taeko Saito, Senior VP of business development and strategies, Asia Pacific at EMPIRE, marking her first appearance on the list.—
Billboard Japan,
Billboard,
10 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
His impact on those around him was immeasurable, and his loss is felt profoundly across our community.—
Ryan Canfield,
FOXNews.com,
7 Nov. 2025
-
But the aftershocks of his success are also being felt more than 8,000 miles away in cities across the world’s most populous country, where his ascent is both celebrated and criticized.—
Rhea Mogul,
CNN Money,
7 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
While expeditions in the early 1990s deciphered crucial insights into the ship’s final moments, one expedition drew sharp criticism after a crewman’s body was found.—
Caitlin Looby,
jsonline.com,
4 Nov. 2025
-
All these tropes — gaydar and girls without it — make for easier narratives, but the presumption that the codes of the heart can be deciphered on the body is one that, outside the world of absurdist comedy — and probably sometimes within it as well — can wound and damage.—
Kelly Foster Lundquist,
PEOPLE,
2 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
That patient underwent surgery to have a chip implanted and a computer voice created.—
Jeffrey Kluger,
Time,
6 Nov. 2025
-
Paul Pelosi underwent surgery to repair a skull fracture and serious injuries to his right arm and hands.—
NPR,
NPR,
6 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Knew.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/knew. Accessed 18 Nov. 2025.
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