stab
Pronunciation: (stab), [key]
— v., n. stabbed, stab•bing,
—v.t.
- to pierce or wound with or as if with a pointed weapon: She stabbed a piece of chicken with her fork.
- to thrust, plunge, or jab (a knife, pointed weapon, or the like) into something: He stabbed the knife into the man's chest.
- to penetrate sharply or painfully: Their misery stabbed his conscience.
- to make a piercing, thrusting, or pointing motion at or in: He stabbed me in the chest with his finger. The speaker stabbed the air in anger.
—v.i.
- to thrust with or as if with a knife or other pointed weapon: to stab at an attacker.
- to deliver a wound, as with a pointed weapon.
- to do harm to (someone), esp. to a friend or to a person who is unsuspecting or in a defenseless position.
—n.
- the act of stabbing.
- a thrust or blow with, or as if with, a pointed weapon.
- an attempt; try: Make a stab at an answer before giving up.
- a wound made by stabbing.
- a sudden, brief, and usually painful, sensation: He felt a stab of pain in his foot. A stab of pity ran through her.
- an act of treachery.
stab.
- stabilization.
- stabilizer.
- stable.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.