Definitions

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition

  1. v. To perceive directly; grasp in the mind with clarity or certainty.
  2. v. To regard as true beyond doubt: I know she won't fail.
  3. v. To have a practical understanding of, as through experience; be skilled in: knows how to cook.
  4. v. To have fixed in the mind: knows her Latin verbs.
  5. v. To have experience of: "a black stubble that had known no razor” ( William Faulkner).
  6. v. To perceive as familiar; recognize: I know that face.
  7. v. To be acquainted with: He doesn't know his neighbors.
  8. v. To be able to distinguish; recognize as distinct: knows right from wrong.
  9. v. To discern the character or nature of: knew him for a liar.
  10. v. Archaic To have sexual intercourse with.
  11. v. To possess knowledge, understanding, or information.
  12. v. To be cognizant or aware.
  13. idiom. in the know Informal Possessing special or secret information.
  14. idiom. you know Informal Used parenthetically in conversation, as to fill pauses or educe the listener's agreement or sympathy: Please try to be, you know, a little quieter. How were we supposed to make camp in a storm like that, you know?

Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia

  1. n. Knowledge.
  2. n. A dialectal (Scotch) form of knoll
  3. n. Middle English forms of knee.
  4. To Perceive or understand as being fact or truth; have a clear or distinct perception or apprehension of; understand or comprehend clearly and fully; be conscious of perceiving truly.
  5. In a general sense, to have definite information or intelligence about; be acquainted with, either through the report of others or through personal ascertainment, observation, experience, or intercourse: as, to know American history; he knows the city thoroughly.
  6. To recognize after some absence or change; recall to the mind or perception; revive prior knowledge of: as, he was so changed that you would hardly know him.
  7. To recognize in contrast or comparison; distinguish by means of previous acquaintance or information: as, to know one man from another; we know a fixed star from a planet by its twinkling; to know the right way.
  8. To understand from experience or attainment; comprehend as to manner or method: with how before an infinitive: as, to know how to make something.
  9. To have sexual commerce with. Gen. iv. 1. [A euphemism.]
  10. To possess knowledge; be informed; have intelligence.
  11. To take cognizance; acquire knowledge; get intelligence.
  12. To be acquainted with each other. You and I have known, sir.

Wiktionary

  1. n. knowledge
  2. v. To be certain or sure about.
  3. v. To be acquainted or familiar with; to have encountered.
  4. v. To have knowledge of; to have memorised information, data, or facts about.
  5. v. To understand (a subject).
  6. v. To be informed about.
  7. v. To experience.
  8. v. To have sexual relations with.

GNU Webster's 1913

  1. v. To perceive or apprehend clearly and certainly; to understand; to have full information of.
  2. v. To be convinced of the truth of; to be fully assured of.
  3. v. To be acquainted with; to be no stranger to; to be more or less familiar with the person, character, etc., of; to possess experience of
  4. v. To recognize; to distinguish; to discern the character of.
  5. v. To have sexual intercourse with.
  6. n. Knee.
  7. v. To have knowledge; to have a clear and certain perception; to possess wisdom, instruction, or information; -- often with of.
  8. v. To be assured; to feel confident.

WordNet 3.0

  1. v. have firsthand knowledge of states, situations, emotions, or sensations
  2. v. accept (someone) to be what is claimed or accept his power and authority
  3. v. be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
  4. v. be aware of the truth of something; have a belief or faith in something; regard as true beyond any doubt
  5. v. have sexual intercourse with
  6. v. perceive as familiar
  7. v. know how to do or perform something
  8. n. the fact of being aware of information that is known to few people
  9. v. be able to distinguish, recognize as being different
  10. v. know the nature or character of
  11. v. have fixed in the mind
  12. v. be familiar or acquainted with a person or an object

Etymologies

  1. Middle English knouen, from Old English cnāwan; see gnō- in Indo-European roots.

Examples

  • “With most endeavors which require knowledge and experience, a group will always “know” more than any one single individual, and many groups together will always know more than any one single Team.”

    Replication Policy Re-Posted « Climate Audit

  • “Before I go I'd like to wish anyone reading this a great holiday season, and let you know how much I've enjoyed getting to *know* so many of you this year.”

    Holiday Cooking with Herbs (plants, veggies, or flowers. . . )

  • “I do know that those who say there will be no more warming are flying in the face of what we *know*.”

    von Storch on MBH "Shoddiness" « Climate Audit

  • “There are some distinct French vowel sounds I *know* I have difficulty differentiating and I know the French have no trouble at all.”

    Uses of used

  • “See, I'm told by a transexual I know online that sudden injections of hormones can make you go all OTT emotionally, but I get the feeling most people writing mpreg don't *know* that and are just over-compemsating.”

    Mpreg

  • “I don't know whether I can be a good manager or not, but I *know*, I can be a good leader.”

    Archive 2004-12-01

  • “I don’t know that I’d call the “less serious” books “bad” anyway–make that I *know* I wouldn’t call them bad for that reason–but you’re definitely on to something.”

    BOOK VIEW CAFE BLOG » Good Bad Books

  • “I don’t know that I’d try a Kindle floating in a pool, but I *know* I wouldn’t risk any dead-tree books in that situation :”

    Cheeseburger Gothic » Apparently you can make a quid giving stuff away for free.

  • “We actually do know *don’t know* but changing the photo means a whole lot of work, not just adding something to the text, since this is a wordless post.”

    Wordless Wildflower Wednesday « Fairegarden

  • “You know, if I did not absolutely *know* that Phrags are orchids – I’d swear that was a pitcher plant Nepenthes.”

    Phragmipedium caudatum

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‘know’ has been looked up 3080 times, loved by 1 person, added to 28 lists, commented on 2 times, and has a Scrabble score of 11.