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
Brent Lang, Variety, 5 Feb. 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
Later, Fiona confronts Constance at the Van Ness mansion, where Constance stabs Dahlia in the leg in front of Fiona.
—Christopher Rudolph, PEOPLE, 9 Dec. 2025
After a dramatic confrontation among all parties, Jonah stabs Henry in the chest and shoots him point-blank in the head.
—Claire Franken, TVLine, 18 Sep. 2025
Alex Galbraith, Entertainment Weekly, 15 Feb. 2026
Dress shoe hybrids are also becoming more common in the wider world of sneakers, with Nike, Saucony and more taking their stabs at the trend.
—Ian Servantes, Footwear News, 11 Feb. 2026
And Mogen suffered 28 stabs wounds, including on her scalp, face, and neck, and five to her chest, according to the documents.
—Jessica Schladebeck, New York Daily News, 27 Jan. 2026
In rapid fire, five stabs penetrated Rivera’s chest, head, and shoulder.
—Mattha Busby, Rolling Stone, 16 Jan. 2026
There were stabs at horny lounge jazz, a melodramatic Latin guitar ballad, even a folksy blues number.
—Vann R. Newkirk Ii, The Atlantic, 18 Oct. 2025
But before that transition takes place, here are a few final stabs at what’s to come for the Timberwolves in the 2025-26 season.
—Jace Frederick, Twin Cities, 17 Oct. 2025
That did actually happen, but Van Sant and screenwriter Austin Kolodny make some additional stabs at turning Fred into the spine of the picture, structuring the movie around his broadcasts — a filmmaking convention that doesn’t really bring anything new to this particular story.
—Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 2 Sep. 2025
Shorter sci-fi stabs meet surging upward flourishes which also link Believe stylistically to disco and Hi-NRG, associating the track with certain gay subcultural histories.
—Angelica Frey, JSTOR Daily, 9 Aug. 2025
Verb
Bautista stabs and shoots his assailants in an operatic eruption of violence that is done in a single, extended shot.
—Brent Lang, Variety, 5 Feb. 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
Later, Fiona confronts Constance at the Van Ness mansion, where Constance stabs Dahlia in the leg in front of Fiona.
—Christopher Rudolph, PEOPLE, 9 Dec. 2025
After a dramatic confrontation among all parties, Jonah stabs Henry in the chest and shoots him point-blank in the head.
—Claire Franken, TVLine, 18 Sep. 2025
Noun
The spaces get smaller and smaller as the shark approaches, radiating a sense of that closing distance until the string stabs cut into the listener like so many glistening teeth.
—Alex Galbraith, Entertainment Weekly, 15 Feb. 2026
Dress shoe hybrids are also becoming more common in the wider world of sneakers, with Nike, Saucony and more taking their stabs at the trend.
—Ian Servantes, Footwear News, 11 Feb. 2026
And Mogen suffered 28 stabs wounds, including on her scalp, face, and neck, and five to her chest, according to the documents.
—Jessica Schladebeck, New York Daily News, 27 Jan. 2026
In rapid fire, five stabs penetrated Rivera’s chest, head, and shoulder.
—Mattha Busby, Rolling Stone, 16 Jan. 2026
There were stabs at horny lounge jazz, a melodramatic Latin guitar ballad, even a folksy blues number.
—Vann R. Newkirk Ii, The Atlantic, 18 Oct. 2025
But before that transition takes place, here are a few final stabs at what’s to come for the Timberwolves in the 2025-26 season.
—Jace Frederick, Twin Cities, 17 Oct. 2025
That did actually happen, but Van Sant and screenwriter Austin Kolodny make some additional stabs at turning Fred into the spine of the picture, structuring the movie around his broadcasts — a filmmaking convention that doesn’t really bring anything new to this particular story.
—Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 2 Sep. 2025
Shorter sci-fi stabs meet surging upward flourishes which also link Believe stylistically to disco and Hi-NRG, associating the track with certain gay subcultural histories.
—Angelica Frey, JSTOR Daily, 9 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for stabs
Verb
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Because of the way the director works, emotions tend to be more discussed than felt, although there’s something about Carla’s desperation that pierces through all the soberness.—
Jordan Mintzer,
HollywoodReporter,
17 Feb. 2026
-
Nothing that pierces the skin should ever be used as leverage over a child's opportunity to education and to learn.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
12 Dec. 2025
Noun
-
Stimulates skin renewal through tiny needle punctures, improving texture and firmness.—
Maria Williams,
USA Today,
23 Feb. 2026
-
There were also punctures on the outer table of the skull, injuries to the teeth and tongue, and a hemorrhage into the chest cavities, according to the filing.—
Chris Spargo,
PEOPLE,
27 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Gonzales was struggling to hold his 23rd District even before the scandal, barely beating 2nd Amendment activist and content creator Brandon Herrera in 2024; Herrera is running again, along with Quico Canseco, a one-term congressman who’s made multiple comeback attempts.—
David Weigel,
semafor.com,
3 Mar. 2026
-
The tone and content of the materials described and submitted to the Interior Department by park managers vary widely, reflecting a mix of careful attempts to obey administration orders, confusion about what might violate them and, at times, apparent skepticism about the entire endeavor.—
Karin Brulliard,
Arkansas Online,
3 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
In another moment, long-time rivals Jett and Mane exchange jabs against one another over a livestream as thousands of roarball fans tune in and cheer them on in the comments.—
Payton Turkeltaub,
Variety,
13 Feb. 2026
-
Srinivas, who often jabs the search engine giant, made an interesting point.—
Reed Albergotti,
semafor.com,
3 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
But amid the coronation for their crosstown rival, Gottlieb was looking for anything that told her this Trojans team could take some punches and also give some back in March.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
2 Mar. 2026
-
In addition, it will be designed to deliver long-range missile punches instead of engaging in dogfights.—
David Szondy
March 01,
New Atlas,
1 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Related Stories The seven returning to the ballot after previous tries at getting elected are the Black Crowes, Mariah Carey, Billy Idol, Iron Maiden, Joy Division/New Order, Oasis and Sade.—
Chris Willman,
Variety,
25 Feb. 2026
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Which, trust me, does take a few tries to get right.—
Dina Kaur,
AZCentral.com,
24 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Check out this week’s picks below.—
Natalia Cano,
Billboard,
27 Feb. 2026
-
Typically when preparing for a role, Apostolides, as a guitarist, picks a song that encapsulates a character's essence.—
Nick Romano,
Entertainment Weekly,
27 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Choose from 21 colors, from goes-with-everything black to standout prints and textures, including holiday-ready velvet or sequins.—
Alesandra Dubin,
Travel + Leisure,
5 Jan. 2026
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Meanwhile, Weaver reminded us of the coat’s versatility while wearing a goes-with-everything matte black version.—
Shea Simmons,
PEOPLE,
27 Dec. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Stabs.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/stabs. Accessed 4 Mar. 2026.
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