stab in the back

S s

Transcription

- US Pronunciation
- US IPA
- UK Pronunciation
- UK IPA
- [stab in stressed th ee bak]
- /stæb ɪn stressed ði bæk/
- /stæb ɪn ðə bæk/

- US Pronunciation
- US IPA
- [stab in stressed th ee bak]
- /stæb ɪn stressed ði bæk/

Definitions of stab in the back words

verb with object stab in the back to pierce or wound with or as if with a pointed weapon: She stabbed a piece of chicken with her fork. 1
verb with object stab in the back to thrust, plunge, or jab (a knife, pointed weapon, or the like) into something: He stabbed the knife into the man's chest. 1
verb with object stab in the back to penetrate sharply or painfully: Their misery stabbed his conscience. 1
verb with object stab in the back 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. 1
verb without object stab in the back to thrust with or as if with a knife or other pointed weapon: to stab at an attacker. 1
verb without object stab in the back to deliver a wound, as with a pointed weapon. 1

See all 19 definitions of stab in the back

Information block about the term

Origin of stab in the back

First appearance:

before 1325

One of the 16% oldest English words

1325-75; (v.) Middle English (Scots) stabben < ?; (noun) late Middle English, akin to or derivative of the v.; compare Scots stob stub1

Historical Comparancy

Parts of speech for Stab in the back

noun

adjective

verb

adverb

pronoun

preposition

conjunction

determiner

exclamation

Full grammatical hierarchy of Stab in the back

stab in the back popularity

A common word. It’s meaning is known to most children of preschool age. About 91% of English native speakers know the meaning and use the word.

Most Europeans know this English word. The frequency of it’s usage is somewhere between "mom" and "screwdriver".

stab in the back usage trend in Literature

This diagram is provided by Google Ngram Viewer

Synonyms for stab in the back

verb stab in the back

betray — If you betray someone who loves or trusts you, your actions hurt and disappoint them.
bollix — to make a muddle of; bungle; botch
bunking — a built-in platform bed, as on a ship.
cross — If you cross something such as a room, a road, or an area of land or water, you move or travel to the other side of it. If you cross to a place, you move or travel over a room, road, or area of land or water in order to reach that place.

noun stab in the back

bunco — a swindle, esp one by confidence tricksters
dirty trick — act: unfair, dishonest
dissimulation — the act of dissimulating; feigning; hypocrisy.
guile — insidious cunning in attaining a goal; crafty or artful deception; duplicity.

All 19 Synonyms of stab in the back

Matching words

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