knob

noun

1
a
: a small rounded ornament or handle
b
: a rounded protuberance : lump
2
: a rounded usually isolated hill or mountain
knobbed adjective
knobby adjective

Examples of knob in a Sentence

a carved walking stick with a silver knob toss a knob of butter into the frying pan
Recent Examples on the Web The solid cube features a wire bead maze, spinning blocks, sliding knobs, little doors to open and shut, and rolling wood blocks with cheerful farm animals. Julie Evans, Parents, 22 Mar. 2024 Sparks says the key is to look for the eyes on the potato, or those little groovy knobs where a potato sprouts. Alex Groves, Los Angeles Times, 14 Mar. 2024 The Tremec gearbox features shorter first and second gears than expected, the shift lever topped by a six-speed knob that Vigilante designed by 3D-scanning the original Jeep four-speed pattern. Michael Van Runkle, Forbes, 29 Feb. 2024 On the laundry side, there’s a washing machine with knobs, storage shelves, and a clock with turnable hands. Katrina Cossey, Parents, 1 Mar. 2024 The Vision Pro includes a knob called the Digital Crown. Brian X. Chen, New York Times, 8 Feb. 2024 The main difference between the two is that the Onyx relies on cheaper build components than the Carbon, which features a more expensive Ortofon Red 2M cartridge in addition to a metal knob, faceplate, and inlay. Sheena Vasani, The Verge, 10 Jan. 2024 The shift knob, at the end of a relatively tall lever, nonetheless provides perfectly smooth gates while slotting into gear. Michael Van Runkle, Forbes, 24 Feb. 2024 Apart from these four modes, Mastering Assistant exposes a few controls such as a loudness adjustment, an exciter for more top-end saturation, and a stereo spread knob. Nate Anderson, Ars Technica, 6 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'knob.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Middle English knobbe; akin to Middle Low German knubbe knob

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1b

Time Traveler
The first known use of knob was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near knob

Cite this Entry

“Knob.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/knob. Accessed 29 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

knob

noun
1
a
: a rounded lump
b
: a small rounded handle
2
: a rounded hill
knobbed adjective
knobby adjective

Medical Definition

knob

noun
: a rounded protuberance or lump
knobby adjective
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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