Word.ws English Dictionary

knowing like the back of one's hand

knowing like the back of one's hand is the present participle and gerund of know like the back of one's hand.

Meaning of know like the back of one's hand

Verb

know like the back of one's hand (third-person singular simple present knows like the back of one's hand, present participle knowing like the back of one's hand, simple past knew like the back of one's hand, past participle known like the back of one's hand)

  1. (transitive, simile) To be intimately knowledgeable about something.
    • He knows the software like the back of his hand, and can often solve problems over the phone, without looking.

Questions about knowing like the back of one's hand

What is knowing like the back of one's hand the present participle and gerund of?
Knowing like the back of one's hand is the present participle and gerund of know like the back of one's hand.

Words near knowing like the back of one's hand in the dictionary

  1. knowing how many beans make five
  2. knowing how to pick 'em
  3. knowing how to walk before one can run
  4. knowing if one is Arthur or Martha
  5. knowing inside and out
  6. knowing like the back of one's hand
  7. knowing no bounds
  8. knowing of
  9. knowing on what side one's bread is buttered
  10. knowing one's arse from one's elbow
  11. knowing one's ass from a hole in the ground

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: knowing like the back of one's hand (page history and authors); know like the back of one's hand (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.

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