stab

noun \ ˈstab \

Updated on: 4 Dec 2017

Definition of stab

1 : a wound produced by a pointed object or weapon

2 a : a thrust of a pointed weapon

b : a jerky thrust

3 : effort, try

4 : a sudden sharp feeling

stabs of regret

See stab defined for English-language learners

See stab defined for kids

Examples of stab in a Sentence

the injection left a small stab on her upper arm
everybody will get a stab at solving the problem

Recent Examples of stab from the Web

Restrepo’s brother Christopher was also attacked and had stab wounds to his right hand and head in the melee.

— howard cohen and charles rabin, miamiherald, "Second man charged in slaying of Turkey Point nuclear engineer | Miami Herald," 27 Oct. 2017
But police have said 15 stab wounds were on the torso found at sea off Copenhagen on Aug. 21.

— Bloomberg.com, "Danish Police Find Severed Head in Kim Wall Submarine Case," 8 Oct. 2017
The man was taken to St. Catherine Hospital in East Chicago, where he was treated for multiple stab wounds, then transported to an Illinois medical center for further treatment.

— ruth ann krause, Post-Tribune, "East Chicago man, 20, charged with attempted murder," 29 Sep. 2017
Patients with stab wounds were more likely to take a private vehicle than those with gunshot wounds.

— beth mole, Ars Technica, "Stabbed or shot? Skipping the ambulance may be better for survival," 26 Sep. 2017
On Saturday, the Cook County medical examiner's office ruled that Hurtado, 31, died of multiple injuries from a homicidal assault and Corbin died of multiple stab wounds to the chest.

— ted gregory, chicagotribune.com, "Melrose Park man charged in homicide deaths of ex-girlfriend, son in Stone Park," 25 Sep. 2017
Aberdeen Police and Harford County sheriff’s deputies were called around 8:25 p.m. Sunday to the Chick-fil-A restaurant in the 1000 block of Beards Hill Road in Aberdeen, where a man was suffering from a stab wound.

— erika butler, The Aegis, "Argument between neighbors escalates to fight, stabbing in Aberdeen," 18 Sep. 2017
There has been no explanation for the multiple stab wounds Pleskovic also suffered.

— crimesider staff, CBS News, "Suspect in Ohio teacher's murder claims self-defense," 3 Nov. 2017
In the coming months Congress may take another stab at a health-care overhaul, and lawmakers will soon confront deadlines on spending and the debt limit that will distract them.

— richard rubin, WSJ, "Health-Care Collapse Points to Challenges in GOP’s Upcoming Tax Effort," 28 July 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'stab.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of stab

Middle English stabbe

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 15th century

See Words from the same year

stab Synonyms

Synonyms

perforation, pinhole, pinprick, punch, puncture, prick

Related Words

gouge, groove, hollow; break, cut, gash, incision, laceration, notch, rent, rip, rupture, slash, slit, tear

stab

verb

Definition of stab

stabbed; stabbing

transitive verb

1 : to wound or pierce by the thrust of a pointed object or weapon

2 : thrust, drive

intransitive verb

: to thrust or give a wound with or as if with a pointed weapon

—

stabber

noun

— stab in the back

: betray

See stab defined for English-language learners

Examples of stab in a Sentence

He stabbed her with a dagger.
The victim was stabbed in the chest five times.

Recent Examples of stab from the Web

In March, several people were killed near the U.K. Parliament building when a driver mowed down pedestrians before crashing his car and stabbing a policeman.

— michael wright, WSJ, "Several Injured as Car Hits Pedestrians in London," 7 Oct. 2017
More: Heroin crisis: New drug addiction treatment could be 'game changer' that saves lives More: Woman accused of sending texts offering to 'hide the bodies' in Shively stabbingEnlow's pickup was found crashed into a tree after the collision.

— grace schneider, The Courier-Journal, "Southern Indiana woman critically injured in second ATV wreck of the weekend," 1 Oct. 2017
An east Birmingham family is grieving after the overnight stabbing death of a 35-year-old man.

— carol robinson, AL.com, "'He took our son': 35-year-old Birmingham man stabbed to death overnight," 19 Oct. 2017
The laws were passed two days after an Islamist stabbed two women to death in Marseille.

— The Economist, "Politics this week," 5 Oct. 2017
Obviously, Kai isn't happy about this suggestion, and proceeds to fatally stab the gimp, who is still completely unaware of what's happening.

— amy mackelden, Harper's BAZAAR, "Episode 5 of American Horror Story: Cult Was Excruciatingly Brutal," 4 Oct. 2017
The former Northwestern professor and Oxford employee charged in the brutal stabbing death of a 26-year-old man in a Chicago high-rise have been formally indicted on murder charges, authorities said Friday.

— megan crepeau, chicagotribune.com, "Northwestern professor, co-defendant indicted on six counts of first-degree murder each," 15 Sep. 2017
According to the Knoxville News-Sentinel, Wright and his older brother Camion D. Patrick were both arrested and charged in the July 25 stabbing death of 18-year-old Caleb Thomas Radford.

— george richards, miamiherald, "Running back from Last Chance U arrested, charged with murder," 14 Sep. 2017
These little piece-y ingredients are all kind of hard to stab with a fork, but find their way into these hole-y short pasta shapes easily.

— alex delany, Bon Appetit, "Which Pasta Shapes to Use When: A Definitive Guide," 11 Sep. 2017

First Known Use of stab

1530

stab Synonyms

Synonyms

gore, harpoon, jab, lance, peck, pick, pierce, pink, puncture, run through, skewer, spear, spike, spit, impale, stick, transfix, transpierce

Related Words

spindle; perforate, riddle; bayonet, dirk, gimlet, pike, poniard, prong, quill; pinprick, poke, prick, punch, thrust; cut, knife, slice

STAB Defined for English Language Learners

stab

noun

Definition of stab for English Language Learners

: a wound made by a pointed weapon (such as a knife)
: a sudden, strong feeling of physical or emotional pain
: an attempt to do something successfully

stab

verb

Definition of stab for English Language Learners

: to wound (someone or something) with a pointed weapon (such as a knife)
: to quickly or suddenly push a pointed object into or toward someone or something

STAB Defined for Kids

stab

noun \ ˈstab \

Definition of stab for Students

1 : a wound produced by or as if by a pointed weapon

2 : ²thrust 1

His first stab missed.

3 : ²try, effort

Take a stab at the answer.

stab

verb

Definition of stab for Students

stabbed; stabbing

1 : to wound or pierce with or as if with a pointed weapon

2 : ¹drive 4, thrust

… Humbug gingerly stabbed his cane in the air …
—Norton Juster, The Phantom Tollbooth

Medical Dictionary

stab

noun \ ˈstab \

medical Definition of stab

1 : a wound produced by a pointed object or weapon

2 a : a culture medium solidified in an upright column in a tube to reduce the surface to a minimum — compare slant

b : stab culture

stab

transitive verb

medical Definition of stab

stabbed; stabbing

: to wound or pierce by the thrust of a pointed object or weapon

Learn More about stab

See words that rhyme with stab Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for stab Spanish Central: Translation of stab Nglish: Translation of stab for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of stab for Arabic speakers

Seen and Heard

What made you want to look up stab? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

show

stab

Definition of stab

Explore Merriam-Webster

Examples of stab in a Sentence

Recent Examples of stab from the Web

Origin and Etymology of stab

stab Synonyms

Synonyms

Related Words

stab

Definition of stab

stabber

Examples of stab in a Sentence

Recent Examples of stab from the Web

First Known Use of stab

stab Synonyms

Synonyms

Related Words

Phrases Related to STAB

Related Phrases

STAB Defined for English Language Learners

stab

Definition of stab for English Language Learners

stab

Definition of stab for English Language Learners

STAB Defined for Kids

stab

Definition of stab for Students

stab

Definition of stab for Students

Medical Dictionary

stab

medical Definition of stab

stab

medical Definition of stab

Learn More about stab

Seen and Heard

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Words at Play

Ask the Editors

Word Games

Trending: Franks Resigns Amid 'Surrogacy' Scandal

'Wreck' and 'Reckless': Accidents Happen

Intact Latin Quiz

It's a Living: Last Names That Started as Jobs

Words of the Year: 1066