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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Dressed ominously in brown combat garb with black leather gloves and a hunting knife strapped to her back, the German actress tries several takes as rush hour revs up.—
Pat Saperstein,
Variety,
15 Feb. 2026
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Using scissors, or knives that aren’t sharp may crush the vascular tissue and prevent the flowers from taking up water, leading to faster decline.—
Heather Zidack,
Hartford Courant,
15 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Cut with a floured 2 3/4- to 3-inch round or square cutter; re-form scraps as necessary to make six biscuits.—
Holly Riordan,
Better Homes & Gardens,
11 Feb. 2026
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Hitters still struggled to hit the forkball last season, but hit his sweeper and sinker hard, and to a lesser extent, his cutter as well.—
Abbey Mastracco,
New York Daily News,
11 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Shank.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shank. Accessed 21 Feb. 2026.
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