I. ˈnō verb
( knew ˈn(y)ü ; or dialect knowed ˈnōd ; known ˈnōn sometimes -ōən ; also dialect knowed ; knowing ; knows )
Etymology: Middle English knowen, knawen, from Old English cnāwan; akin to Old High German bi chnāan to recognize, Old Norse knā I can, Latin gnoscere, noscere to become acquainted with, come to know, Greek gi gnōskein to come to know, perceive, Old Slavic znati to know, Sanskrit jānāti he knows
transitive verb
1.
a.
(1) : to apprehend immediately with the mind or with the senses : perceive directly : have direct unambiguous cognition of
taught that one could come to know objective truth
(2) : to have perception, cognition, or understanding of especially to an extensive or complete extent
learning to know one's mind — Virgil Thomson
insisted on the importance of knowing oneself
(3) : to recognize the quality of : see clearly the character of : discern
knew him for what he was
knows him as honest and reliable
(4) : to recognize in a specific capacity
one glance and they know him as the one destined to lead them
b.
(1) : to apprehend as being the same as something previously apprehended : recognize as being an object of perception identical with a previous object of perception : recognize as familiar
knew her father as soon as she saw him
said they would know that face anywhere
(2) : to have acquaintance or familiarity with through experience or acquisition of information or hearsay
knew no such restraints — Hugh Seton-Watson
knew the law fairly well
knows foreign languages
specifically : to have personal acquaintance with (a person)
whom he had learned to know and love — Allen Johnson
recognizes many people by sight but doesn't know them all
(3) : to have experience of
the region has known a steadily increasing … number of visitors — S.H.Holbrook
knew great delight
did not know happiness with the woman he married — Ruth P. Randall
c. : to apprehend as being distinct from something previously apprehended : recognize as being an object of perception distinct from a previous object of perception : recognize as distinct : distinguish
barely able to know one thing from another
2.
a. : to have cognizance, consciousness, or awareness of : have within the mind as something apprehended, learned, or understood
knew they could never have what city folks had — M.W.Straight
knows that this is quite true
knew many would not believe him
didn't know who she was or where she was going
was known to be a friend of hers
b. : to have a practical understanding of or a distinct skill in through instruction, study, practice, or experience
knows how to write vividly — William Clerk
knows the fundamentals perfectly
3. : to apprehend with certitude as true, factual, sure, or valid : perceive or have within the mind's grasp with clarity and the conviction of certainty : have certitude about and clear comprehension of
know what they want and intend to get it
knew the solution to almost any problem
4. archaic : to have sexual intercourse with
intransitive verb
1.
a. : to have perception or cognition or understanding of something especially to an extensive or complete extent
you know better
people who know will not waste their time that way
we want to know , we will not be content with a fairy tale of love — L.O.Coxe
b. : to have cognizance, consciousness, or awareness of something : be aware of the existence or fact of something
knew of her but had not yet met her
knew about what had happened
2. : to have information : have acquaintance with facts
knew differently and therefore refused the offer
3. : to have something within the mind's grasp with certitude and clarity
do you know , or is that only your opinion
•
- know one's onions
- know one's stuff
- know the ropes
- not know from nothing
II. noun
( -s )
: the fact of knowing : knowledge
the inside know of a journalist — Douglass Cater
•
- in the know
III. verb
Etymology: translation of Yiddish visn fun
•
- know from