Stab

• POS: Noun, Verb (usu participle), Verb (transitive)

CIDE DICTIONARY

Stab, v. t. [Cf. OD. staven to fix, fasten, fr. stave, staff, a staff, rod; akin to G. stab a staff, stick, E. staff; also Gael. stob to stab, as n., a stake, a stub. Cf. Staff.].

•  To pierce with a pointed weapon; to wound or kill by the thrust of a pointed instrument; as, to stab a man with a dagger; also, to thrust; as, to stab a dagger into a person.  [1913 Webster]
•  Fig.: To injure secretly or by malicious falsehood or slander; as, to stab a person's reputation.  [1913 Webster]

Stab, v. i. 

•  To give a wound with a pointed weapon; to pierce; to thrust with a pointed weapon.  [1913 Webster]

  "None shall dare
  With shortened sword to stab in closer war."  [1913 Webster]
•  To wound or pain, as if with a pointed weapon.  [1913 Webster]

  "She speaks poniards, and every word stabs."  [1913 Webster]

To stab at, to offer or threaten to stab; to thrust a pointed weapon at.

Stab, n. 

•  The thrust of a pointed weapon.  [1913 Webster]
•  A wound with a sharp-pointed weapon; as, to fall by the stab of an assassin.  Shak.  [1913 Webster]
•  Fig.: An injury inflicted covertly or suddenly; as, a stab given to character.  [1913 Webster]

OXFORD DICTIONARY

Stab, v. & n.
--v. (stabbed, stabbing)
1 tr. pierce or wound with a (usu. short) pointed tool or weapon e.g. a knife or dagger.
2 intr. (often foll. by at) aim a blow with such a weapon.
3 intr. cause a sensation like being stabbed (stabbing pain).
4 tr. hurt or distress (a person, feelings, conscience, etc.).
5 intr. (foll. by at) aim a blow at a person's reputation, etc.
--n.
1 a an instance of stabbing. b a blow or thrust with a knife etc.
2 a wound made in this way.
3 a blow or pain inflicted on a person's feelings.
4 colloq. an attempt, a try.

Idiom

stab in the back n. a treacherous or slanderous attack.
--v.tr. slander or betray.

Derivative

stabber n.

Etymology

ME: cf. dial. stob in sense 1 of v.

THESAURUS

Stab

Judas kiss, abrade, abrasion, ache, acute pain, afflict, aggrieve, agonize, ail, anguish, approach, assay, attempt, auger, barb the dart, bark, bayonet, betray, betrayal, bid, bite, blemish, blind guess, bloody, bold conjecture, bore, boring pain, break, broach, bruise, burn, chafe, charley horse, check, chip, claw, concussion, conjecture, convulse, countersink, crack, crackle, cramp, cramps, craze, crick, crucify, cut, cut up, dagger, darting pain, dig, dirk, distress, double-cross, drill, drive, duplicity, effort, empierce, endeavor, essay, excruciate, experiment, feint, fester, fix, flash burn, fling, fracture, fray, frazzle, fret, fulgurant pain, gall, gambit, gash, girdle pain, give pain, gnaw, gnawing, go, gore, gouge, gouge out, grate, grieve, grind, gripe, griping, guess, harm, harrow, hitch, hole, home thrust, honeycomb, hunch, hurt, hurt the feelings, impale, incise, incision, inflame, inflict pain, injure, injury, irritate, jab, jumping pain, kill by inches, kink, knife, lacerate, laceration, lance, lancinating pain, lesion, lick, lunge, maim, make mincemeat of, martyr, martyrize, maul, mortal wound, move, mutilate, mutilation, needle, nip, offer, pain, pang, paroxysm, pass, penetrate, perforate, perhaps, pierce, pin, pinch, pink, plunge, plunge in, poke, poniard, pop, prick, prolong the agony, prong, punch, puncture, put to torture, rack, ram, rankle, rasp, ream, ream out, rend, rent, riddle, rip, rough guess, rub, run, run through, rupture, saber, savage, scald, scorch, scotch, scrape, scratch, scuff, second-degree burn, seizure, sell out, sharp pain, shoot, shooting, shooting pain, shot, sink, skewer, skin, slap, slash, slit, sore, spasm, spear, speculation, spike, spit, sprain, stab wound, stabbing pain, stagger, step, stick, stiletto, sting, stitch, strain, stroke, strong bid, surmise, swing, sword, tap, tear, tentative, third-degree burn, thrill, throes, thrust, tormen, torment, torture, transfix, transpierce, trauma, traumatize, treachery, trepan, trephine, trial, trial and error, try, tweak, twinge, twist, twist the knife, twitch, undertaking, unverified supposition, whack, whirl, wild guess, wound, wounds immedicable, wrench, wring

ROGET THESAURUS

Stab

Badness

VB be hurtful, cause evil, produce evil, inflict evil, work evil, do evil, damnify, endamage, hurt, harm, injure, pain, wrong, aggrieve, oppress, persecute, trample upon, tread upon, bear hard upon, put upon, overburden, weigh down, weigh heavy on, victimize, run down, molest, maltreat, abuse, ill-use, ill-treat, buffet, bruise, scratch, maul, smite, do violence, do harm, do a mischief, stab, pierce, outrage, do mischief, make mischief, bring into trouble, destroy.

Deterioration

VB be worse, be deteriorated, become worse, become deteriorated Adj, have seen better days, deteriorate, degenerate, fall off, wane, ebb, retrograde, decline, droop, go down, go downhill, go from bad to worse, go farther and fare worse, jump out of the frying pan into the fire, run to seed, go to seed, run to waste swale, sweal, lapse, be the worse for, sphacelate: break, break down, spring a leak, crack, start, shrivel, fade, go off, wither, molder, rot, rankle, decay, go bad, go to decay, fall into decay, fall into the sear and yellow leaf, rust, crumble, shake, totter, totter to its fall, perish, die, deteriorate, weaken, put back, set back, taint, infect, contaminate, poison, empoison, envenom, canker, corrupt, exulcerate, pollute, vitiate, inquinate, debase, embase, denaturalize, denature, leaven, deflower, debauch, defile, deprave, degrade, ulcerate, stain, discolor, alloy, adulterate, sophisticate, tamper with, prejudice, pervert, prostitute, demoralize, brutalize, render vicious, embitter, acerbate, exacerbate, aggravate, injure, impair, labefy, damage, harm, hurt, shend, scath, scathe, spoil, mar, despoil, dilapidate, waste, overrun, ravage, pillage, wound, stab, pierce, maim, lame, surbate, cripple, hough, hamstring, hit between wind and water, scotch, mangle, mutilate, disfigure, blemish, deface, warp, blight, rot, corrode, erode, wear away, wear out, gnaw, gnaw at the root of, sap, mine, undermine, shake, sap the foundations of, break up, disorganize, dismantle, dismast, destroy, damnify, do one's worst, knock down, deal a blow to, play havoc with, play sad havoc with, play the mischief with, play the deuce with, play the very devil with, play havoc among, play sad havoc among, play the mischief among, play the deuce among, play the very devil among, decimate.

N deterioration, debasement, wane, ebb, recession, retrogradation, decrease, degeneracy, degeneration, degenerateness, degradation, depravation, depravement, devolution, depravity, demoralization, retrogression, masochism, impairment, inquination, injury, damage, loss, detriment, delaceration, outrage, havoc, inroad, ravage, scath, perversion, prostitution, vitiation, discoloration, oxidation, pollution, defoedation, poisoning, venenation, leaven, contamination, canker, corruption, adulteration, alloy, decline, declension, declination, decadence, decadency, falling off, caducity, decrepitude, decay, dilapidation, ravages of time, wear and tear, corrosion, erosion, moldiness, rottenness, moth and rust, dry rot, blight, marasmus, atrophy, collapse, disorganization, delabrement (destruction), aphid, Aphis, plant louse, puceron, vinefretter, vinegrub, wreck, mere wreck, honeycomb, magni nominis umbra, jade, plug, rackabones, skate, tackey, tacky, have seen better days, deteriorate, degenerate, fall off, wane, ebb, retrograde, decline, droop, go down, go downhill, go from bad to worse, go farther and fare worse, jump out of the frying pan into the fire, run to seed, go to seed, run to waste swale, sweal, lapse, be the worse for, sphacelate: break, break down, spring a leak, crack, start, shrivel, fade, go off, wither, molder, rot, rankle, decay, go bad, go to decay, fall into decay, fall into the sear and yellow leaf, rust, crumble, shake, totter, totter to its fall, perish, die, deteriorate, weaken, put back, set back, taint, infect, contaminate, poison, empoison, envenom, canker, corrupt, exulcerate, pollute, vitiate, inquinate, debase, embase, denaturalize, denature, leaven, deflower, debauch, defile, deprave, degrade, ulcerate, stain, discolor, alloy, adulterate, sophisticate, tamper with, prejudice, pervert, prostitute, demoralize, brutalize, render vicious, embitter, acerbate, exacerbate, aggravate, injure, impair, labefy, damage, harm, hurt, shend, scath, scathe, spoil, mar, despoil, dilapidate, waste, overrun, ravage, pillage, wound, stab, pierce, maim, lame, surbate, cripple, hough, hamstring, hit between wind and water, scotch, mangle, mutilate, disfigure, blemish, deface, warp, blight, rot, corrode, erode, wear away, wear out, gnaw, gnaw at the root of, sap, mine, undermine, shake, sap the foundations of, break up, disorganize, dismantle, dismast, destroy, damnify, do one's worst, knock down, deal a blow to, play havoc with, play sad havoc with, play the mischief with, play the deuce with, play the very devil with, play havoc among, play sad havoc among, play the mischief among, play the deuce among, play the very devil among, decimate, Adj, unimproved &c (improve), deteriorated, altered, altered for the worse, injured, sprung, withering, spoiling, on the wane, on the decline, tabid, degenerate, marescent, worse, the worse for, all the worse for, out of repair, out of tune, imperfect, the worse for wear, battered, weathered, weather-beaten, stale, passe, shaken, dilapidated, frayed, faded, wilted, shabby, secondhand, threadbare, worn, worn to a thread, worn to a shadow, worn to the stump, worn to rags, reduced, reduced to a skeleton, far gone, tacky, decayed, moth-eaten, worm-eaten, mildewed, rusty, moldy, spotted, seedy, time-worn, moss-grown, discolored, effete, wasted, crumbling, moldering, rotten, cankered, blighted, tainted, depraved, decrepid, decrepit, broke, busted, broken, out of commission, hors de combat, out of action, broken down, done, done for, done up, worn out, used up, finished, beyond saving, fit for the dust hole, fit for the wastepaper basket, past work, at a low ebb, in a bad way, on one's last legs, undermined, deciduous, nodding to its fall, tottering, past cure, fatigued, retrograde, deleterious, out of the frying pan into the fire, agrescit medendo, what a falling off was there!.

Opening

VB open, ope, gape, yawn, bilge, fly open, perforate, pierce, empierce, tap, bore, drill, mine, tunnel, transpierce, transfix, enfilade, impale, spike, spear, gore, spit, stab, pink, puncture, lance, stick, prick, riddle, punch, stave in, cut a passage through, make way for, make room for, uncover, unclose, unrip, lay open, cut open, rip open, throw open, pop open, blow open, pry open, tear open, pull open.

Killing

VB kill, put to death, slay, shed blood, murder, assassinate, butcher, slaughter, victimize, immolate, massacre, take away life, deprive of life, make away with, put an end to, despatch, dispatch, burke, settle, do for, strangle, garrote, hang, throttle, choke, stifle, suffocate, stop the breath, smother, asphyxiate, drown, saber, cut down, cut to pieces, cut the throat, jugulate, stab, run through the body, bayonet, eviscerate, put to the sword, put to the edge of the sword, shoot dead, blow one's brains out, brain, knock on the head, stone, lapidate, give a deathblow, deal a deathblow, give a quietus, give a coupe de grace, behead, bowstring, electrocute, gas, hunt, shoot, cut off, nip in the bud, launch into eternity, send to one's last account, sign one's death warrant, strike the death knell of, give no quarter, pour out blood like water, decimate, run amuck, wade knee deep in blood, imbrue one's hands in blood, die a violent death, welter in one's blood, dash out one's brains, blow out one's brains, commit suicide, kill oneself, make away with oneself, put an end to oneself, put an end to it all.