stabs

Noun

stab (plural stabs)

1. An act of stabbing or thrusting with an object to hurt or kill someone.
   • A knife was flashing in his hand, and just as he was about to take a stab at me, the smith grabbed his arm from behind.1979, Karl May, The Secret Brotherhood: A Novel, Seabury Press, →ISBN, page 52
2. A wound made by stabbing.
   • I opened the man's linen robe, and there over his heart was a dagger-wound, and beneath the woman's fair breast was a like cruel stab, through which her life had ebbed away.1886 October – 1887 January, H[enry] Rider Haggard, She: A History of Adventure, London: Longmans, Green, and Co., published 1887, →OCLC
3. Pain inflicted on a person's feelings.
   • “I bet you two have really big plans. And might I say, that is just fab,” he said of Lynn's dress. “I'm glad someone noticed,” she replied, seeming to take a stab at me.2001, Van Whitfield, Guys in Suits: A Novel, Doubleday, →ISBN, page 73
4. (informal) An attempt.
   • I'll give this thankless task a stab.
5. Criticism.
6. A single staccato chord that adds dramatic impact to a composition.
   • a horn stab

See all 17 meanings of stab