stab: Meaning and Definition of

stab

Pronunciation: (stab), [key]
— v., n. stabbed, stab•bing,
—v.t.
  1. to pierce or wound with or as if with a pointed weapon: She stabbed a piece of chicken with her fork.
  2. to thrust, plunge, or jab (a knife, pointed weapon, or the like) into something: He stabbed the knife into the man's chest.
  3. to penetrate sharply or painfully: Their misery stabbed his conscience.
  4. 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.
  1. to thrust with or as if with a knife or other pointed weapon: to stab at an attacker.
  2. to deliver a wound, as with a pointed weapon.
  3. to do harm to (someone), esp. to a friend or to a person who is unsuspecting or in a defenseless position.
—n.
  1. the act of stabbing.
  2. a thrust or blow with, or as if with, a pointed weapon.
  3. an attempt; try: Make a stab at an answer before giving up.
  4. a wound made by stabbing.
  5. a sudden, brief, and usually painful, sensation: He felt a stab of pain in his foot. A stab of pity ran through her.
  6. an act of treachery.

stab.

Pronunciation: [key]
  1. stabilization.
  2. stabilizer.
  3. stable.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.
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