kneenoun [ C ]
uk/niː/us/niː/B1 the middle joint of the leg that allows the leg to bend:
The baby was crawling around on its hands and knees.
He got/went down on his knees (= got into a position where his knees were on the ground) in front of the altar.
She took the child and sat it on her knee (= on the part of the leg above the knee when sitting down).
the part of a piece of clothing that covers the knee:
She was wearing an old pair of trousers with rips at the knees.
More examples
- He fell down and grazed his knee.
- He bounced the baby on his knee.
- Make sure you bend your knees when you're picking up heavy objects.
- She sat back in her chair and wrapped her arms around her knees.
- Football socks go up to the knee, don't they?
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
The leg
- Achilles tendon
- appendage
- appendicular
- crural
- cruris
- gastrocnemius
- gemellus
- hamstring
- haunch
- leggy
- peroneal
- peroneus
- pes anserinus
- piriformis
- popliteal
- subsartorial
- subtalar
- surae
- sural
- talocalcaneal
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You can also find related words, phrases, and synonyms in the topics:
Parts of clothes
Idiom(s)
bring sb/sth to their knees
kneeverb [ T ]
uk/niː/us/niː/to hit someone with your knee:
She kneed him in the groin.
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Hitting and beating
- a bunch of fives idiom
- a rap on/over the knuckles idiom
- at-risk
- bang up sb/sth
- bashing
- conk
- deck
- hell
- kick
- knock
- knock sb's block off idiom
- lay
- lay sb out
- licking
- mess sb up
- pound
- pummel
- put the boot in idiom
- swing
- thump
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