know.
To perceive the truth or factuality of; to be certain of; to be certain that.
Meaning & usage
To perceive the truth or factuality of; to be certain of; to be certain that.
I know that I’m right and you’re wrong.
He knew something terrible was going to happen.
To be or become aware or cognizant.
Did you know Michelle and Jack were getting divorced? ― Yes, I knew.
Malware's sometimes been known to sit dormant for a long time.
To be aware of; to be cognizant of.
Did you know Michelle and Jack were getting divorced? ― Yes, I knew.
She knows where I live.
To be acquainted (with another person).
To be acquainted or familiar with; to have encountered.
I know your mother, but I've never met your father.
Borja, do you know Pilar? - Sure, we've actually met before.
To be acquainted or familiar with; to have encountered. To have sexual relations with. This meaning normally specified in modern English as e.g. to ‘know someone in the biblical sense’ or to ‘know biblically’.
To experience.
Their relationship knew ups and downs.
To understand or have a grasp of through experience or study.
Let me do it. I know how it works.
She knows how to swim.
To be able to distinguish, to discern, particularly by contrast or comparison; to recognize the nature of.
to know a person's face or figure
to know right from wrong
To recognize as the same (as someone or something previously encountered) after an absence or change.
To have knowledge; to have information, be informed.
It is vital that he not know.
She knew of our plan.
To be able to play or perform (a song or other piece of music).
Do you know "Blueberry Hill"?
To have indexed and have information about within one's database.
To maintain (a belief, a position) subject to a given philosophical definition of knowledge; to hold a justified true belief.
Where this word comes from
From Middle English knowen, from Old English cnāwan (“to know, perceive, recognise”), from Proto-West Germanic *knāan, from Proto-Germanic *knēaną (“to know”), from Proto-Indo-European *ǵneh₃- (“to know”). Cognates * from Proto-Germanic: Scots knaw (“to know, recognise”), Icelandic knega (“to know, know how to, be able”), Old High German knājan (“to know, recognise”), Old Norse kná (“to know how”). Remotely related also Dutch and German kennen, West Frisian kenne (see English ken). * from Indo-European: Latin gnoscō, Latin cognoscō (Spanish conocer, French connaître, Romanian cunoaște, Italian conoscere, Portuguese conhecer), Ancient Greek γνωρίζω (gnōrízō, “to know”) and γνῶσις (gnôsis, “knowledge”), Albanian njoh (“to know, recognise”), Russian знать (znatʹ, “to know”), Lithuanian žinoti (“to know”), Persian شناختن (šenâxtan, “to know”) and Hindi जानना (jānnā, “to know, understand”).
Knowledge; the state of knowing.
Knowledge; the state of knowing. (Now confined to the fixed phrase in the know.)
Where this word comes from
From Middle English knowen, from Old English cnāwan (“to know, perceive, recognise”), from Proto-West Germanic *knāan, from Proto-Germanic *knēaną (“to know”), from Proto-Indo-European *ǵneh₃- (“to know”). Cognates * from Proto-Germanic: Scots knaw (“to know, recognise”), Icelandic knega (“to know, know how to, be able”), Old High German knājan (“to know, recognise”), Old Norse kná (“to know how”). Remotely related also Dutch and German kennen, West Frisian kenne (see English ken). * from Indo-European: Latin gnoscō, Latin cognoscō (Spanish conocer, French connaître, Romanian cunoaște, Italian conoscere, Portuguese conhecer), Ancient Greek γνωρίζω (gnōrízō, “to know”) and γνῶσις (gnôsis, “knowledge”), Albanian njoh (“to know, recognise”), Russian знать (znatʹ, “to know”), Lithuanian žinoti (“to know”), Persian شناختن (šenâxtan, “to know”) and Hindi जानना (jānnā, “to know, understand”).
Used at the end of a sentence to draw attention to information one thinks the listener should keep in mind.
Make sure you water the plants, know…
I was a naval diver know!
Where this word comes from
Shortening of you know (sense 4)—Singapore English favours pro-drop constructions (Wee, 2003).
Alternative form of knowe (“hill, knoll”).
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Definitions, grammatical labels, IPA, etymology and examples: Wiktionary contributors, extracted by Kaikki / Wiktextract. Adapted under CC BY-SA 4.0. Selected fields and authored examples are shown; third-party quotations and audio are omitted. See contributor history.
Last enriched 2026-09-10. Definitions are in English. Romanizations are shown when supplied by the source; syllable estimates are omitted for unsupported scripts.