as in pierces
to penetrate or hold (something) with a pointed object
stabbed the pesky leaf with the tines of the rake
Synonyms & Similar Words
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1
as in punctures
a mark or small hole made by a pointed instrument
the injection left a small stab on her upper arm
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of stabs
Ethan Shanfeld, Variety, 1 June 2026
The shower curtain opens, revealing an old woman, who stabs and decapitates Mary.
—Therie Hendrey-Seabrook, Encyclopedia Britannica, 18 Mar. 2026
But this person who was a friend, who owes her career to me, just stabs me in the back.
—Maer Roshan, HollywoodReporter, 10 Mar. 2026
Milo tries to be a hero, trying to use pepper spray on Morgan, but Morgan stabs and kills him.
—Barry Levitt, Time, 21 Jan. 2026
Percy, now carrying the Golden Fleece, runs toward the elevator, but Luke stabs him through the closing doors.
—Monica Mercuri, Forbes.com, 20 Jan. 2026
And then there was Belew, enlisted to help bring Fripp’s new guitar sound to life, picking together in intricate rhythmic patterns, like the trick where someone lays their hand on the table and stabs a knife between their fingers at increasingly rapid speeds.
—Sam Sodomsky, Pitchfork, 11 Jan. 2026
The suspect pounces on Ennin while the victim is down and stabs him multiple times before running off.
—Emma Seiwell, New York Daily News, 6 Jan. 2026
After Fiona confesses to killing Willem, a raging Constance stabs Dahlia.
—Randall Colburn, Entertainment Weekly, 9 Dec. 2025
John Burek, PC Magazine, 29 May 2026
That definitely took a lot of stabs.
—Mya Abraham, VIBE.com, 19 May 2026
Fans take their own stabs pro bono, posting to Reddit their predictions for the draft’s first round, or their bespoke guesses for all two hundred and fifty-seven picks.
—Dan Greene, New Yorker, 18 May 2026
While a warm, four-bar bassline chugs alongside dubby stabs and bouncy swells, BEA1991’s vocals switch from nonchalant monotone to falsetto in a way that sounds like an involuntary yelp of joy.
—Reid Bg, Pitchfork, 28 Apr. 2026
His tight chord stabs, jazzy voicings and glinting tone are an indelible sonic signature, up there with Louis Armstrong’s trumpet blasts and Aretha Franklin’s rolling, tolling gospel piano.
—New York Times, 28 Apr. 2026
New Line has taken stabs at developing a sequel with Heisserer and Chris Borrelli penning scripts over the years.
—Borys Kit, HollywoodReporter, 27 Mar. 2026
Production quirks like volume and pitch changes, multiple beat switches, brash sonic redirections punctuated by everything from samples of glass shattering to synth stabs puncturing through sheaths of filters, make for a kind of chaotic symphony that feels deliriously of the moment.
—Jeff Ihaza, Rolling Stone, 25 Mar. 2026
With a funky groove, ‘80s synthesizer stabs, party noises and a put-your-hands-in-the-air-wooo!
—Jem Aswad, Variety, 4 Mar. 2026
Verb
His right-hand man, Bishop, pulls an Iago on him and stabs him in the back by emptying his bullets.
—Ethan Shanfeld, Variety, 1 June 2026
The shower curtain opens, revealing an old woman, who stabs and decapitates Mary.
—Therie Hendrey-Seabrook, Encyclopedia Britannica, 18 Mar. 2026
But this person who was a friend, who owes her career to me, just stabs me in the back.
—Maer Roshan, HollywoodReporter, 10 Mar. 2026
Milo tries to be a hero, trying to use pepper spray on Morgan, but Morgan stabs and kills him.
—Barry Levitt, Time, 21 Jan. 2026
Percy, now carrying the Golden Fleece, runs toward the elevator, but Luke stabs him through the closing doors.
—Monica Mercuri, Forbes.com, 20 Jan. 2026
And then there was Belew, enlisted to help bring Fripp’s new guitar sound to life, picking together in intricate rhythmic patterns, like the trick where someone lays their hand on the table and stabs a knife between their fingers at increasingly rapid speeds.
—Sam Sodomsky, Pitchfork, 11 Jan. 2026
The suspect pounces on Ennin while the victim is down and stabs him multiple times before running off.
—Emma Seiwell, New York Daily News, 6 Jan. 2026
After Fiona confesses to killing Willem, a raging Constance stabs Dahlia.
—Randall Colburn, Entertainment Weekly, 9 Dec. 2025
Noun
The keyboard on the TravelMate P6 was perfectly satisfactory in my brief stabs at typing.
—John Burek, PC Magazine, 29 May 2026
That definitely took a lot of stabs.
—Mya Abraham, VIBE.com, 19 May 2026
Fans take their own stabs pro bono, posting to Reddit their predictions for the draft’s first round, or their bespoke guesses for all two hundred and fifty-seven picks.
—Dan Greene, New Yorker, 18 May 2026
While a warm, four-bar bassline chugs alongside dubby stabs and bouncy swells, BEA1991’s vocals switch from nonchalant monotone to falsetto in a way that sounds like an involuntary yelp of joy.
—Reid Bg, Pitchfork, 28 Apr. 2026
His tight chord stabs, jazzy voicings and glinting tone are an indelible sonic signature, up there with Louis Armstrong’s trumpet blasts and Aretha Franklin’s rolling, tolling gospel piano.
—New York Times, 28 Apr. 2026
New Line has taken stabs at developing a sequel with Heisserer and Chris Borrelli penning scripts over the years.
—Borys Kit, HollywoodReporter, 27 Mar. 2026
Production quirks like volume and pitch changes, multiple beat switches, brash sonic redirections punctuated by everything from samples of glass shattering to synth stabs puncturing through sheaths of filters, make for a kind of chaotic symphony that feels deliriously of the moment.
—Jeff Ihaza, Rolling Stone, 25 Mar. 2026
With a funky groove, ‘80s synthesizer stabs, party noises and a put-your-hands-in-the-air-wooo!
—Jem Aswad, Variety, 4 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for stabs
Verb
-
And who the f--- pierces a 12 year old?—
Desiree Anello,
PEOPLE,
24 May 2026
-
Lockwood’s music instills joy in listening, and such revitalized desire leaves your body freshly tender, sensitive to whatever pierces the ear.—
Joshua Minsoo Kim,
Pitchfork,
28 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Deep punctures can allow entry points for bacteria, so check your produce occasionally and use any bruised or damaged items early to keep them from spoiling.—
Katie Rosenhouse,
Southern Living,
23 May 2026
-
Attenborough communicated with the tribe using gestures, looked at their personal ornaments and enquired about the pegs in the ritual punctures in the nose of one of the men.—
Amarachi Orie,
CNN Money,
8 May 2026
Noun
-
His firm, Kroll, fields impersonation attempts constantly — fake emails, fake invoices, fake voices purporting to be him.—
Nick Lichtenberg,
Fortune,
1 June 2026
-
Years of unrelenting pressure—smear campaigns, interrogations, arrests, a violent raid, and underhanded attempts at control—had succeeded in breaking it.—
Bozorgmehr Sharafedin,
The Atlantic,
1 June 2026
Verb
-
But following elite competition is nearly impossible, with subtle flicks and jabs practically invisible to the naked eye—and competitors hidden behind masks.—
Jacob Feldman,
Sportico.com,
25 Apr. 2026
-
The public jabs from the president have angered some Catholics, the single largest religious denomination in the United States, according to Pew Research Center.—
Kinsey Crowley,
USA Today,
16 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Rhodes peppered Gunther with punches, a bionic elbow and a Pedigree for a nearfall.—
Alfred Konuwa,
Forbes.com,
31 May 2026
-
Stockstill was throwing punches, but not connecting.—
Mara H. Gottfried,
Twin Cities,
29 May 2026
Noun
-
At least the Wordle Bot took five tries!—
Erik Kain,
Forbes.com,
27 May 2026
-
Keldon Johnson scored 15 off the bench for San Antonio, which missed 29 of its 41 3-point tries.—
Tim Reynolds,
Twin Cities,
27 May 2026
Verb
-
Here are my top budget-friendly destination picks for 2026, along with some suggestions for where to stay to keep the savings coming.—
Dave Parfitt,
USA Today,
30 May 2026
-
Had the rule been in place for the Heat’s past three lottery visits, the Heat would have had the second (this year), second (2019) and first (2017) picks in those second rounds.—
Ira Winderman,
Sun Sentinel,
30 May 2026
Noun
-
Does this mean those pop-goes-punk comp albums are coming back?—
Bethy Squires,
Vulture,
13 Apr. 2026
-
Except then there’s the chance of being FUNNELED, placed on the rails and headed for a very specific destination, instead of the OPEN-WORLD anything-goes of traditional D&D.—
Christopher Borrelli,
Chicago Tribune,
30 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Stabs.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/stabs. Accessed 4 Jun. 2026.
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