Word.ws English Dictionary

taking a stab at

taking a stab at is the present participle and gerund of take a stab at.

Meaning of take a stab at

Verb

take a stab at (third-person singular simple present takes a stab at, present participle taking a stab at, simple past took a stab at, past participle taken a stab at)

  1. (idiomatic) To attempt or try.
    • Would you like to take a stab at explaining the theory?
  2. (idiomatic) To guess about.
    • I'll take a stab at the answer, but I don't really know for sure.
  3. Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see take, stab.

Questions about taking a stab at

What is taking a stab at the present participle and gerund of?
Taking a stab at is the present participle and gerund of take a stab at.

Words near taking a stab at in the dictionary

  1. taking a seat
  2. taking a shining to
  3. taking a shit
  4. taking a shot in the dark
  5. taking a sight
  6. taking a stab at
  7. taking a stand
  8. taking a step back
  9. taking a tinkle
  10. taking a toll
  11. taking a tumble

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: taking a stab at (page history and authors); take a stab at (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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