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Recent Examples of knap
If confirmed, our human ancestors started shaping bones by striking them at specific angles in a process known as knapping as much as 1.5 million years ago.
—
Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 5 Mar. 2025
Rocks could be knapped, or shaped, into knife blades, spear points, ax heads, and more, allowing hunter-gatherers to take on new prey and use animal remains for clothing and other things.
—Nathaniel Scharping, Discover Magazine, 6 Apr. 2024
The course was jointly led by Ojibwe elders, who taught him how to knap flint, tan hides and build wigwams.
—Franz Lidz Meghan Dhaliwal, New York Times, 13 Sep. 2022
Our Paleolithic ancestors learned to knap delicate blades from round stone cobbles, hunt large game and cook their food.
—Herman Pontzer, Scientific American, 12 Dec. 2022
Knowing how to make a friction fire, or how to whittle a paddle out of a log, or how to knap stone arrowheads all have their place in a survival situation (particularly fire making).
—Jim Baird, Field & Stream, 3 Aug. 2020
There was the first time someone knapped and hafted a rock onto a spear shaft, and the first time someone strung up a bow.
—Tyler Freel, Outdoor Life, 19 Mar. 2020
His hair was unruly and his large, blunt fingers were usually fishing for a cigarette, except when preoccupied with his favourite hobby: knapping prehistoric flint tools.
—1843, 20 Feb. 2020
Shaggy Briton woodsmen in the vast pre-Roman forests of Cumbria, gripping their sacred Langdale axes, with glimmering heads knapped from the rare volcanic greenstone mined from the Pike of Stickle.
—Jonny Diamond, Longreads, 8 June 2019
Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 5 Mar. 2025
Rocks could be knapped, or shaped, into knife blades, spear points, ax heads, and more, allowing hunter-gatherers to take on new prey and use animal remains for clothing and other things.
—Nathaniel Scharping, Discover Magazine, 6 Apr. 2024
The course was jointly led by Ojibwe elders, who taught him how to knap flint, tan hides and build wigwams.
—Franz Lidz Meghan Dhaliwal, New York Times, 13 Sep. 2022
Our Paleolithic ancestors learned to knap delicate blades from round stone cobbles, hunt large game and cook their food.
—Herman Pontzer, Scientific American, 12 Dec. 2022
Knowing how to make a friction fire, or how to whittle a paddle out of a log, or how to knap stone arrowheads all have their place in a survival situation (particularly fire making).
—Jim Baird, Field & Stream, 3 Aug. 2020
There was the first time someone knapped and hafted a rock onto a spear shaft, and the first time someone strung up a bow.
—Tyler Freel, Outdoor Life, 19 Mar. 2020
His hair was unruly and his large, blunt fingers were usually fishing for a cigarette, except when preoccupied with his favourite hobby: knapping prehistoric flint tools.
—1843, 20 Feb. 2020
Shaggy Briton woodsmen in the vast pre-Roman forests of Cumbria, gripping their sacred Langdale axes, with glimmering heads knapped from the rare volcanic greenstone mined from the Pike of Stickle.
—Jonny Diamond, Longreads, 8 June 2019
Recent Examples of Synonyms for knap
Verb
-
Insecure guys might consider chewing rock-hard gum to chisel their profiles (potentially putting themselves at risk for temporomandibular disorders) or seeking out jawline filler.—
The New York Times,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
8 Apr. 2025
-
Strauss chiseled that fissure into her role, writing seductive music for a violent story.—
Justin Davidson,
Vulture,
30 Apr. 2025
Verb
-
This program carves the path to transform its matriculants from a high school senior into an empathetic, well-rounded physician ready to make an impact.—
Kristen Moon,
Forbes.com,
1 June 2025
-
Instead, airlines are now carving out cheaper fare classes exclusively for multi-passenger bookings, reversing traditional booking dynamics.—
Jesus Mesa,
MSNBC Newsweek,
30 May 2025
Verb
-
And how can sculpture accomplish the experience of simultaneous collective reception that was formerly its greatest social promise?—
Benjamin H. D. Buchloh,
Artforum,
1 June 2025
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Bourdelle’s voluminous works in marble, bronze, and wood fill the lofty mezzanine, while his bronze sculptures Héraklès archer (Hercules the Archer) and Centaure mourant (Dying Centaur) highlight the garden.—
Kasia Dietz,
Travel + Leisure,
29 July 2024
Verb
-
Their objections hew closely to the divisions that split House Republicans.—
Jonathan Easley,
The Hill,
23 May 2025
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Her raw material — rough bark that has been neither hewed nor polished — is gathered together and then arranged in perfect geometrical shapes that appeal to the human eye.—
Ray Mark Rinaldi,
Denver Post,
12 May 2025
Verb
-
The Sculpture Contest Spam isn’t served at the party or even on the restaurant’s menu—it’s sculpted.—
Alexandra Emanuelli,
Southern Living,
31 May 2025
-
The rapper typically prefers a long nail, and her blue set was sculpted to perfection in a rounded stiletto shape.—
Kara Nesvig,
Allure,
13 May 2025
Verb
-
The end of Elon Musk’s time at the helm of the Department of Government Efficiency is the latest chapter in a long story: Republicans are better at cutting taxes than cutting spending.—
W. James Antle III,
The Washington Examiner,
3 June 2025
-
President Joe Biden promoted a suite of policies meant to cut carbon emissions by boosting EV sales.—
Camila Domonoske,
NPR,
3 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Knap.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/knap. Accessed 10 Jun. 2025.
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