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
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
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
-
Homemade knives, called shanks, are plentiful inside the prison, several inmates said.—
Kristine Phillips,
IndyStar,
5 Nov. 2025
-
With violence, or the threat of it, being so pervasive in today’s society, many young people now carry knives out of fear for their own safety, Alexander said.—
Catherine Nicholls,
CNN Money,
4 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
Known as cane cutters, cane jakes, or more commonly swamp rabbits, this species is found in the low lying areas in Indiana’s southern hardwood forests where tall reed-like grasses grow that resemble bamboo or sugar cane.—
Karl Schneider,
IndyStar,
29 Oct. 2025
-
When asked about the impact of tactics to improve affordability, both rent freezes/caps and friendlier apartment zoning received approval from 34% of those polled, seeing the moves as cost-cutters.—
Jonathan Lansner,
Oc Register,
24 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Shanks.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shanks. Accessed 9 Nov. 2025.
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