What does "stab" mean?
An act of stabbing or thrusting with an object.
Stab
/stæb/ adj, noun, verb, slang
adj, noun, verb, slang ·Very common ·Middle school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: An act of stabbing or thrusting with an object.
- Grammar: stab is listed as adj, noun, verb, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: jab, pang, thrust, twinge.
- Useful contrasts: comfort, cure, ease.
- Usage evidence: I'm a thief, I'll go back when I've taken the stuff. Report me and I'll stab you.
How to use "stab"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "stab" 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 "stab" 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 "stab" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "stab" 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 "stab" is acting as adj, noun, verb, slang 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 "jab" 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 "stab", 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 An act of stabbing or thrusting with an object.
"A knife was flashing in his hand, and just as he was about to take a stab at me, the smith grabbed his arm from behind."
- 2 The horizontal or vertical stabilizer of an aircraft. slang
"If the pilots used electric pitch trim, it would only pause MCAS for 5s; to deactivate it you have to switch off the STAB TRIM CUTOUT switches."
- 3 Clipping of establishment. abbreviation, alt-of, clipping, no-plural
"[…] there were 286 overseers and 210 readers occupied in the 501 offices; 2,691 compositors were paid on the stab […]"
- 4 A 50% damage boost applied when a Pokémon uses a move with the same type as itself (for example, an Electric-type Pokémon using an Electric-type move). slang, uncountable
- 5 informal words for any attempt or effort wordnet
Show 8 more definitions
- 6 A wound made by stabbing.
"I opened the man's linen robe, and there over his heart was a dagger-wound, and beneath the woman's fair breast was a like cruel stab, through which her life had ebbed away."
- 7 a strong blow with a knife or other sharp pointed instrument wordnet
- 8 Pain inflicted on a person's feelings.
"“I bet you two have really big plans. And might I say, that is just fab,” he said of Lynn's dress. “I'm glad someone noticed,” she replied, seeming to take a stab at me."
- 9 a sudden sharp feeling wordnet
- 10 An attempt. informal
"I'll give this thankless task a stab."
- 11 Criticism.
- 12 A single staccato chord that adds dramatic impact to a composition.
"a horn stab"
- 13 A bacterial culture made by inoculating a solid medium, such as gelatin, with the puncture of a needle or wire.
Verb
- 1 To pierce or to wound (somebody) with a (usually pointed) tool or weapon, especially a knife or dagger. transitive
"If you stab him in the heart he won't live long enough to retaliate."
- 2 poke or thrust abruptly wordnet
- 3 To thrust in a stabbing motion. transitive
"to stab a dagger into a person"
- 4 stab or pierce wordnet
- 5 To recklessly hit with the tip of a (usually pointed) object, such as a weapon or finger (often used with at). intransitive
"He stabbed at my face with the twig but luckily kept missing my eyes."
Show 6 more definitions
- 6 use a knife on wordnet
- 7 To cause a sharp, painful sensation (often used with at). intransitive
"The snow from the blizzard was stabbing at my face as I skied down the mountain."
- 8 To injure secretly or by malicious falsehood or slander. figuratively, transitive
"to stab a person's reputation"
- 9 To roughen a brick wall with a pick so as to hold plaster. transitive
- 10 To pierce folded sheets, near their back edges, for the passage of thread or wire. transitive
- 11 To guide the end of a pipe into a coupling when making up a connection. transitive
"[O]ne of the derrickman's jobs is to "stab" the pipe."
Adjective
- 1 Clipping of established. abbreviation, alt-of, clipping, not-comparable
"Do you know whether any country offices pay their men by the thousand, or whether they are on stab wages? — I do not know. Some are paid stab wages, but I do not know whether there is much piece-work."
Example
"I'm a thief, I'll go back when I've taken the stuff. Report me and I'll stab you."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "stab"?
Common synonyms include: jab, pang, thrust, twinge, abrade, abrasion.
How do you use "stab" in a sentence?
I'm a thief, I'll go back when I've taken the stuff. Report me and I'll stab you.
How do you pronounce "stab"?
Pronounced /stæb/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
First attested in Scottish English (compare Scots stob, stobbe, stabb (“a pointed stick or stake; a thrust with a pointed weapon”)), from Middle English stabbe (“a stab”), probably a variant of Middle English stob, stub, stubbe (“pointed stick, stake, thorn, stub, stump”), from Old Norse stobbi, stubbi, cognate with Old English stybb. Cognate with Middle Dutch stobbe. Supposed by some to derive from Scottish Gaelic stob (“to prick, to prod, to push, to thrust”); supposed by others to be from a Scots word.
Etymology 2
Clipping of stabilizer or stabiliser.
Etymology 3
Acronym of same-type attack bonus.