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
-
This design allows for enhanced thermal stability and resistance to physical damage such as punctures.—
Chris Young,
Interesting Engineering,
10 June 2026
-
The minimally invasive technique uses small needle punctures instead of larger surgical incisions, which can help reduce pain and speed up recovery for patients.—
Toria Sheffield,
PEOPLE,
7 June 2026
Noun
-
Dylan Harper, who has played tremendous bench minutes for San Antonio, also scored 13 on 18 shot attempts.—
Scott Thompson,
FOXNews.com,
9 June 2026
-
There have been attempts to start up professional softball leagues before.—
Mirjam Swanson,
Los Angeles Times,
8 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
-
Most baseball fights produce a little shoving, occasional hugging, some dancing and pulled powderpuff punches.—
Kori Rumore,
Chicago Tribune,
13 June 2026
-
Three days before the first punches are set to be thrown at a White House-UFC event, the South Lawn is unrecognizable.—
Nik Popli,
Time,
11 June 2026
Noun
-
Freese will need to organize a back line that has failed to keep a shutout in eight tries dating back to last September.—
Julian Cardillo,
Boston Herald,
9 June 2026
-
Levi scored two tries to extend her season-leading tally to 64, and was even more impressive with two try-saving tackles from behind on Katelyn Vaha'akolo.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
7 June 2026
Verb
-
Rose gave up five first-round draft picks to acquire the versatile wing from the Brooklyn Nets.—
Sean Gregory,
Time,
14 June 2026
-
Because there is no rush, with no games to be played for four months and no draft picks to be made for more than a week.—
Ira Winderman,
Sun Sentinel,
12 June 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 16 Jun. 2026.
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