- an act of stabbing or trying to stab somebody/something; a wound caused by stabbing
- He received several stabs in the chest.
- She died of a single stab wound to the heart.
Extra Examples- The boy made a stab at the pig.
- a stab to the chest
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- quick
- make
- wound
- stab at
- stab to
- a stab to the heart
- a sudden sharp pain or unpleasant feeling
- She felt a sudden stab of pain in the chest.
- a stab of guilt/fear/pity/jealousy, etc.
- He felt a sharp stab of disappointment.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- sharp
- sudden
- feel
- stab of
- [usually singular] (informal) an attempt to do something
- stab (at something) He found the test difficult but nevertheless made a good stab at it.
- stab (at doing something) Countless people have had a stab at solving the riddle.
- I’ve always enjoyed acting, but I’d like to have a stab at directing one day.
Extra Examples- He took his first stab at directing.
- I had a stab at answering the question.
- She made a half-hearted stab at medical school, and quickly withdrew.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- brave
- good
- half-hearted
- …
- have
- make
- take
- …
- stab at
- a stab in the dark
Word Originlate Middle English: of unknown origin.
Idioms
See stab in the Oxford Advanced American Dictionarya shot/stab in the dark
- a guess; something you do without knowing what the result will be
- The figure he came up with was really just a shot in the dark.
- It was only a stab in the dark, but I hoped I might be right.
a stab in the back
- (informal) an act that harms somebody, done by a person they thought was a friend
- Her refusal to support his campaign was a real stab in the back.
Check pronunciation:
stab