as in knife
an instrument with a metal length that has a sharp edge for cutting
slashed at the prison guard with a shank he had secretly made from a scrap of metal
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Recent Examples of shank
Boos rain down as Jeremy Crawshaw shanks that punt off the side of his foot.
—
Joe Nguyen, Denver Post, 6 Nov. 2025
Homemade knives, called shanks, are plentiful inside the prison, several inmates said.
—Kristine Phillips, IndyStar, 5 Nov. 2025
Start with a glass of stout and the Hungarian mushroom soup before moving on to either the pork shank, prime rib (the best in town) or Amish chicken for an entree.
—Keith Pandolfi, Cincinnati Enquirer, 24 Oct. 2025
Some of my favorite cuts for braising include pork shoulder, beef brisket, short ribs, chicken thighs, and lamb shanks.
—Carole Kotkin, Miami Herald, 7 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for shank
Joe Nguyen, Denver Post, 6 Nov. 2025
Homemade knives, called shanks, are plentiful inside the prison, several inmates said.
—Kristine Phillips, IndyStar, 5 Nov. 2025
Start with a glass of stout and the Hungarian mushroom soup before moving on to either the pork shank, prime rib (the best in town) or Amish chicken for an entree.
—Keith Pandolfi, Cincinnati Enquirer, 24 Oct. 2025
Some of my favorite cuts for braising include pork shoulder, beef brisket, short ribs, chicken thighs, and lamb shanks.
—Carole Kotkin, Miami Herald, 7 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for shank
Recent Examples of Synonyms for shank
Noun
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Amazon quietly discounted dozens of top picks from Stewart’s collection, including Dutch ovens, knife sets, oven mitts, and more, with prices starting at just $8 and discounts going for up to 60 percent off.—
Maggie Horton,
PEOPLE,
8 Jan. 2026
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The social media post was accompanied by emojis of a knife, an ax and red drops after the statement.—
Ishani Desai,
Sacbee.com,
8 Jan. 2026
Noun
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As an 86-second exchange unfolded, Chez stood perfectly still, a stunned expression on his face, as his father screamed at him and cops ordered him to drop the box cutter more than a dozen times.—
Thomas Tracy,
New York Daily News,
7 Jan. 2026
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The cutter’s visit was hosted by the group and is a public outreach event with the Ocean Institute.—
Erika I. Ritchie,
Oc Register,
3 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Shank.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shank. Accessed 16 Jan. 2026.
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