knew
/ˈnjuː//ˈn(j)u/
knew is the simple past of know.
knew is the past participle of know.
Meaning of know
Verb
know (third-person singular simple present knows, present participle knowing, simple past knew or (nonstandard) knowed, past participle known or (colloquial and nonstandard) knew)
- To perceive the truth or factuality of; to be certain of; to be certain that.
- Question things. I have the most fun when I'm writing questioning things that people do not question- the assumptions that everybody knows are true.1985 April 17, Frank Herbert, 15:46 from the start, in Frank Herbert speaking at UCLA 4/17/1985, UCLACommStudies, archived from the original on 10 Feb 2017
- To be or become aware or cognizant.
- Did you know Michelle and Jack were getting divorced? ― Yes, I knew.
- To be aware of; to be cognizant of.
- Did you know Michelle and Jack were getting divorced? ― Yes, I knew.
- To be acquainted (with another person).
- You, and I haue knowne ſir.c. 1606–1607 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Anthonie and Cleopatra”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard...
- To be acquainted or familiar with; to have encountered.
- I know your mother, but I've never met your father.
- 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’.
- AFterwarde the man knewe Heuáh his wife, which cõceiued & bare Káin, & ſaid, I haue obteined a man by yͤ Lord.1560, [William Whittingham et al., transl.], The Bible and Holy Scriptures Conteyned in the Olde and Newe Testament. […] (the Geneva Bible), Geneva: […] Rouland Hall, →OCLC, Genesis IIII:1, folio 2...
Phrases with knew
- knew of
- God knew
- who knew
- knew ball
- knew about
- knew better
- knew someone
- we been knew
- knew A from B
- knew the shit
- knew fine well
- knew full well
60 more phrasesFewer phrases
- knew no bounds
- knew the drill
- knew the score
- knew any better
- knew one's shit
- knew beans about
- knew one's place
- knew one's stuff
- knew one's onions
- knew someone when
- we hardly knew ye
- knew back to front
- knew what was what
- knew inside and out
- knew one's own head
- knew one's own mind
- knew what's o'clock
- knew how to pick 'em
- knew where one stood
- knew which end is up
- if only the czar knew
- if only the tsar knew
- knew one's way around
- knew when to fold 'em
- knew shit from Shinola
- knew someone from Adam
- knew from a bar of soap
- knew B from a battledore
- knew what o'clock it was
- knew a B from a battledore
- knew every trick in the book
- knew how many beans make five
- knew one's head from one's ass
- knew one's ass from one's elbow
- knew someone from Adam's off ox
- knew if one was Arthur or Martha
- knew like the back of one's hand
- knew one's arse from one's elbow
- knew someone from a can of paint
- knew where the bodies were buried
- knew someone in the biblical sense
- knew someone from a hole in the wall
- knew how to walk before one could run
- knew someone from the man in the moon
- knew someone from the man on the moon
- knew whether one was Arthur or Martha
- knew someone from a hole in the ground
- knew what side of the bread is buttered
- knew one's ass from a hole in the ground
- knew what side of the bread was buttered
- knew on what side one's bread is buttered
- knew one's head from a hole in the ground
- knew what side of one's bread is buttered
- knew what side one's bread is buttered on
- knew on what side one's bread was buttered
- knew what side of one's bread was buttered
- knew what side one's bread was buttered on
- knew which side one's bread is buttered on
- knew which side one's bread was buttered on
- knew the difference between one's ass and a hole in the ground
Words that rhyme with knew
Questions about knew
- What is knew the simple past of?
- Knew is the simple past of know.
- How do you pronounce knew?
- Knew is pronounced /ˈnjuː/ (UK).
Words near knew in the dictionary
Source and license
Adapted from Wiktionary: knew (page history and authors); know (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.
Last updated:
Pronunciation audio from Wikimedia Commons, each file under its own free license: en-uk-knew.ogg, en-us-knew.ogg.
Cite this entry: “knew.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/knew. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.
