What does "know" mean?
Knowledge; the state of knowing.
Know
/nəʊ/ noun, particle, verb
noun, particle, verb ·Very common ·Middle school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: Knowledge; the state of knowing.
- Grammar: know is listed as noun, particle, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: recognize, sleep with, absorb, account.
- Useful contrasts: suspected, appear to be, chance of.
- Usage evidence: I don't know if I have the time.
How to use "know"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "know" 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 "know" 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 "know" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "know" 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 "know" is acting as noun, particle, 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 "recognize" 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 "know", 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 Knowledge; the state of knowing. rare, uncountable
"That on the view and know of theſe Contents, […] He ſhould the bearers put to […] death, […]"
- 2 Alternative form of knowe (“hill, knoll”). alt-of, alternative
"Owing to increasing numbers and consequent want of room for nestage, the old birds drove away the younger ones, who took refuge in their present abode at Fox's Know, where they have been located about six years."
- 3 the fact of being aware of information that is known to few people wordnet
- 4 Knowledge; the state of knowing. (Now confined to the fixed phrase in the know.) uncountable
Verb
- 1 To perceive the truth or factuality of; to be certain of; to be certain that. transitive
"Question things. I have the most fun when I'm writing questioning things that people do not question- the assumptions that everybody knows are true."
- 2 accept (someone) to be what is claimed or accept their power and authority wordnet
- 3 To be or become aware or cognizant. intransitive
"Did you know Michelle and Jack were getting divorced? ― Yes, I knew."
- 4 be familiar or acquainted with a person or an object wordnet
- 5 To be aware of; to be cognizant of. transitive
"Did you know Michelle and Jack were getting divorced? ― Yes, I knew."
Show 19 more definitions
- 6 be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about wordnet
- 7 To be acquainted (with another person). intransitive, obsolete
"You, and I haue knowne ſir."
- 8 know how to do or perform something wordnet
- 9 To be acquainted or familiar with; to have encountered. transitive
"I know your mother, but I've never met your father."
- 10 have fixed in the mind wordnet
- 11 To be acquainted or familiar with; to have encountered.; To have sexual relations with. This meaning normally specified in modern English as e.g. to 'know someone in the biblical sense' or to 'know biblically'. archaic, euphemistic, transitive
"AFterwarde the man knewe Heuáh his wife, which cõceiued & bare Káin, & ſaid, I haue obteined a man by yͤ Lord."
- 12 have firsthand knowledge of states, situations, emotions, or sensations wordnet
- 13 To experience. transitive
"Their relationship knew ups and downs."
- 14 perceive as familiar wordnet
- 15 To understand or have a grasp of through experience or study.
"Let me do it. I know how it works."
- 16 be able to distinguish, recognize as being different wordnet
- 17 To be able to distinguish, to discern, particularly by contrast or comparison; to recognize the nature of. transitive
"to know a person's face or figure"
- 18 know the nature or character of wordnet
- 19 To recognize as the same (as someone or something previously encountered) after an absence or change. transitive
"At nearer view he thought he knew the dead, / And call'd the wretched man to mind."
- 20 have sexual intercourse with wordnet
- 21 To have knowledge; to have information, be informed. intransitive
"It is vital that he not know."
- 22 To be able to play or perform (a song or other piece of music). transitive
"Do you know "Blueberry Hill"?"
- 23 To have indexed and have information about within one's database. transitive
"Mmm... Seems you searched for a name that we don't know, we'll send our trained monkeys to check what's in stock."
- 24 To maintain (a belief, a position) subject to a given philosophical definition of knowledge; to hold a justified true belief. transitive
Particle
- 1 Used at the end of a sentence to draw attention to information one thinks the listener should keep in mind. Singlish
"Make sure you water the plants, know…"
Synonyms
All synonymsAntonyms
Example
"I don't know if I have the time."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "know"?
Common synonyms include: recognize, sleep with, absorb, account, acknowledge, acquaintance.
How do you use "know" in a sentence?
I don't know if I have the time.
How do you pronounce "know"?
Pronounced /nəʊ/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
From Middle English knowen, from Old English cnāwan (“to know, perceive, recognise”), from Proto-West Germanic *knāan, from Proto-Germanic *knēaną (“to know”), from Proto-Indo-European *ǵneh₃- (“to know”). Cognates from Indo-European: Latin gnoscō, Latin cognoscō (Spanish conocer, French connaître, Romanian cunoaște, Italian conoscere, Portuguese conhecer), Ancient Greek γνωρίζω (gnōrízō, “I know”) and γνῶσις (gnôsis, “knowledge”), Albanian njoh (“I know, recognise”), Russian знать (znatʹ, “to know”), Lithuanian žinoti (“to know”), and Persian شناختن (šenâxtan, “to know”). from Proto-Germanic: Scots knaw (“to know, recognise”), Icelandic knega (“to know, know how to, be able”), Old High German knājan (“to know, recognise”), Old Norse kná (“to know how”). Remotely related also Dutch and German kennen, West Frisian kenne (see English ken).
Etymology 2
Shortening of you know (sense 4)—Singapore English favours pro-drop constructions (Wee, 2003).