as in knives
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 shanks
Lucrezia’s Regularly voted the region’s top Italian restaurant, Lucrezia’s serves housemade pasta, classic Italian appetizers, and braised lamb shanks and short ribs in a garden setting.
—
Iona Brannon, Travel + Leisure, 21 Nov. 2025
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
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
Lamb shanks are braised in Malbec till they can be shredded and made into croquettes with provoleta cheese and a yogurt mint sauce.
—John Mariani, Forbes.com, 17 Sep. 2025
After a couple shanks, Sanchez launches one on line.
—Brian Hamilton, New York Times, 27 Aug. 2025
Frozen lamb shanks were improperly thawed in the prep sink without running water.
—Sacbee.com, 8 Aug. 2025
Each probe consists of four parallel shanks, and each shank is studded with 1,280 electrodes.
—IEEE Spectrum, 28 May 2022
Iona Brannon, Travel + Leisure, 21 Nov. 2025
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
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
Lamb shanks are braised in Malbec till they can be shredded and made into croquettes with provoleta cheese and a yogurt mint sauce.
—John Mariani, Forbes.com, 17 Sep. 2025
After a couple shanks, Sanchez launches one on line.
—Brian Hamilton, New York Times, 27 Aug. 2025
Frozen lamb shanks were improperly thawed in the prep sink without running water.
—Sacbee.com, 8 Aug. 2025
Each probe consists of four parallel shanks, and each shank is studded with 1,280 electrodes.
—IEEE Spectrum, 28 May 2022
Recent Examples of Synonyms for shanks
Noun
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There are also lots of other coins, jewelry, lighters, pocket knives, and rare paper currency to bid on.—
Sara Tenenbaum,
CBS News,
26 Jan. 2026
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Though some thrift shops might accept knives as donations, Gach says some stores feel that any sharp knife or knife-like instrument could be turned into a weapon.—
Michelle Mastro,
The Spruce,
25 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Cable-cutters can also stream the event live online through a variety of Live TV streamers with access to CBS, such as DirecTV, Sling TV and Hulu+ Live TV.—
Anna Tingley,
Variety,
1 Feb. 2026
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The mission covered about 1,000 square miles using multiple aircraft, cutters and small boats over a 24-hour period.—
Michael Casey,
Los Angeles Times,
31 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Shanks.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shanks. Accessed 7 Feb. 2026.
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