knob
/nɔb/
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
Noun 1. A rounded lump or ball, especially one forming a handle on a door or drawer. 2. A rounded projection or switch used to control a device. 3. A small, rounded hill or mound. 4. A rounded lump or swelling on a surface.
Usage and Examples
- As a handle:
- She turned the brass knob and opened the heavy wooden door.
- The cabinet drawer has a small wooden knob.
- As a control:
- Turn the volume knob clockwise to increase the sound.
- The old radio had a large tuning knob.
- As a geographical feature:
- The house was built on a grassy knob overlooking the valley.
- As a lump or swelling:
- A knob of butter melted in the hot pan.
- The tree had a strange knob growing on its trunk.
Advanced Usage
- With knobs on (idiom, British informal): Used to express emphatic agreement or to return an insult or comment with greater force, meaning "and even more so."
- Person A: "You're an idiot!" Person B: "Right back at you, with knobs on!"
- It was a terrible idea, with knobs on.
Variants and Related Words
- Knobby (adjective): Having or covered with small, hard lumps.
- The knobby surface of the tree root.
- Doorknob (noun): A knob used to open or close a door.
- Control knob (noun): A knob used to adjust a machine's settings.
Synonyms
- Lump: A compact mass of a substance.
- Bump: A slight swelling or raised area.
- Protuberance: A thing that protrudes from something else.
- Handle: A part of an object designed for holding.
- Dial: A disc on a device showing measurements, often turned by a knob.
Phrasal Verbs / Related Constructions
- To knob (out) (verb, rare/archaic): To form into a knob or knobs; to become knob-shaped.
- The branch knobbed out where it had been damaged.
Related Idioms
- With knobs on: See "Advanced Usage" above.
Noun
- an ornament in the shape of a ball on the hilt of a sword or dagger
- any thickened enlargement
- a round handle
- a circular rounded projection or protuberance