shiv

noun

ˈshiv How to pronounce shiv (audio)
Definition of shivnext
slang
as in knife
an instrument with a metal length that has a sharp edge for cutting watch yourself in Cell Block 8, or you'll end up with a shiv in your back

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of shiv One way might be to hone a single, perfect statement—something narrow and vicious, a shiv to the ribs of the world that cheered your demise as your rival threw a Cheshire Cat grin at you from the Super Bowl halftime show. — Jayson Greene, Pitchfork, 18 May 2026 Just recently, the fallen mogul’s friend Charlucci Finney dropped a bombshell that a fellow inmate had put a shiv to Combs’ neck in his sleep (the BoP did not comment on this story). — Madeleine Marr, Miami Herald, 31 Oct. 2025 House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries offered the Capitol Hill equivalent of a shiv in the back when he was asked whether the Senate needed new leadership. — Gal Beckerman, The Atlantic, 20 Mar. 2025 The bad news is that No Other Choice, the Ax adaptation Korean master Park Chan-wook has been waiting years to make, isn’t the picture Westlake’s cold, glittering shiv of a novel deserves. — Stephanie Zacharek, Time, 25 Dec. 2025 See All Example Sentences for shiv
Recent Examples of Synonyms for shiv
  1. knife
  2. cutter
Noun
  • The knife went through it with ease, and the mix of sweet cinnamon and savory chicken just worked perfectly together.
    — Heidi Finley, Charlotte Observer, 30 June 2026
  • About 15 minutes before the police found the victims, a man flagged down a Lauderhill officer to report that someone armed with a knife tried to attack him, according to police.
    — David Goodhue, Miami Herald, 30 June 2026
Definition of knife
Noun
  • And there was Fred Raskin, Gunn’s longtime cutter who worked on all the Guardians of the Galaxy movies and Gunn’s DC series Peacemaker.
    — Borys Kit, HollywoodReporter, 3 July 2026
  • The Coast Guard cutter Eagle eased into Baltimore’s Inner Harbor.
    — Karissa Waddick, USA Today, 1 July 2026
Definition of cutter

Browse Nearby Words

shirty
shiv
shiver
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Shiv.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shiv. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.

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