I. stab 1 /stæb/ BrE AmE verb ( past tense and past participle stabbed , present participle stabbing )
1 . [transitive] to push a knife into someone or something ⇨ stabbing :
He was stabbed to death in a fight.
stab somebody in the heart/arm etc
She had been stabbed in the chest repeatedly.
2 . [intransitive and transitive] to make quick pushing movements with your finger or something pointed SYN jab :
He raised his voice and stabbed the air with his pen.
3 . stab somebody in the back to do something that harms someone who likes and trusts you SYN betray
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THESAURUS
■ to attack a person
▪ attack to use violence against someone and try to hurt them:
She was attacked by a man with a baseball bat.
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Police dogs are trained to attack.
▪ ambush /ˈæmbʊʃ/ if a group of people ambush someone, they hide and wait for them and then attack them:
The judge was ambushed by gunmen as he drove to work at the courthouse.
▪ mug to attack someone and take money from them in a public place such as a street:
He was mugged on his way home from school.
▪ stab to attack someone with a knife:
The victim had been stabbed in the neck.
▪ assault to attack and hurt someone – used especially when talking about this as a criminal ↑ offence :
He assaulted a flight attendant who refused to serve him more drinks.
▪ be set upon by somebody/something written to be attacked by a group of people:
He died outside his home after being set upon by a gang of youths.
▪ turn on to suddenly change your behaviour and attack the person you are with, when they do not expect this:
The dog suddenly turned on him, sinking its teeth into his arm.
II. stab 2 BrE AmE noun [countable]
1 . an act of stabbing or trying to stab someone with a knife:
severe stab wounds
a stab victim
He killed him with a stab to the heart.
2 . stab of pain/disappointment/fear etc a sudden sharp feeling of pain or a strong emotion:
He felt a stab of guilt.
3 . stab at (doing) something informal an attempt to do something, often not successfully
have/make/take a stab at (doing) something
I’ll have one more stab at it.
4 . stab in the back when someone you thought was a friend tries to harm you