What does "knight" mean?
A young servant or follower; a trained military attendant in service of a lord.
Knight
/naɪt/ name, noun, verb
name, noun, verb ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A young servant or follower; a trained military attendant in service of a lord.
- Grammar: knight is listed as name, noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: dub, horse, advance, aggrandize.
- Useful contrasts: commoner, coward, damosel.
- Usage evidence: The knight swore an oath of allegiance to the king.
How to use "knight"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "knight" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "knight" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "knight" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "knight" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "knight" is acting as name, noun, verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "dub" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "knight", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A young servant or follower; a trained military attendant in service of a lord. historical
"Not all knights held fiefs, and it was not unusual for knights to buy themselves freedom from the obligations of the fief, or even to abscond with the arms provided by their lord, becoming a part of the large number of unenfeoffed, wandering knights available for hire […]"
- 2 a chessman shaped to resemble the head of a horse; can move two squares horizontally and one vertically (or vice versa) wordnet
- 3 A minor nobleman with an honourable military rank who had served as a page and squire. historical
- 4 originally a person of noble birth trained to arms and chivalry; today in Great Britain a person honored by the sovereign for personal merit wordnet
- 5 An armored and mounted warrior of the Middle Ages. broadly
"King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table"
Show 8 more definitions
- 6 A person obliged to provide knight service in exchange for maintenance of an estate held in knight's fee. historical
- 7 A person on whom a knighthood has been conferred by a monarch. modern
- 8 A brave, chivalrous and honorable man devoted to a noble cause or love interest. literary
- 9 A chess piece, often in the shape of a horse's head, that is moved two squares in one direction and one at right angles to that direction in a single move, leaping over any intervening pieces.
"The knight may move to one of the squares nearest to that on which it stands but not on the same rank, file or diagonal. […] There are two knights, on the squares g1 and e1, and one of them moves to the square f3: either Ngf3 or Nef3, as the case may be."
- 10 A playing card bearing the figure of a knight; the knave or jack. dated
- 11 Any of various nymphalid butterflies of the genus Ypthima.
- 12 Any mushroom belonging to genus Tricholoma. modern
- 13 A species of nymphalid butterfly, Lebadea martha, found in tropical and subtropical Asia.
Verb
- 1 To confer knighthood upon. transitive
"The king knighted the young squire."
- 2 raise (someone) to knighthood wordnet
- 3 To promote (a pawn) to a knight. transitive
Proper Noun
- 1 An English surname originating as an occupation for someone who was a mounted soldier.
"Though teams from China have hoisted the Summoner’s Cup, which goes to the Worlds champion, it’s always been South Korean mid laners who have starred on those teams. Erzberger said Knight wants to be the first Chinese mid laner to hoist that trophy — and maybe become a national treasure himself."
- 2 A town in Iron County, Wisconsin, United States.
- 3 A settlement on Saint Croix, United States Virgin Islands.
Synonyms
All synonymsExample
"The knight swore an oath of allegiance to the king."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "knight"?
Common synonyms include: dub, horse, advance, aggrandize, armored fighter, award.
How do you use "knight" in a sentence?
The knight swore an oath of allegiance to the king.
How do you pronounce "knight"?
Pronounced /naɪt/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
From Middle English knight, knyght, kniht, from Old English cniht (“boy; servant, knight”), from Proto-West Germanic *kneht.
Etymology 2
From Middle English knighten, kniȝten, from the noun. Cognate with Middle High German knehten.
Etymology 3
From Middle English knyghte, from Old English cniht (“youth; servant”).