Headway Word of the Week
⇒ Learn more words in the Word of the Week archive
knee
Your knees are the joints that join the upper and lower part of your legs. We also use knee to describe the top of your thigh when you're sitting down, or the part of your trousers that cover your knees.
- Can you bend your knee?
- Sit on my knee.
- He had holes in the knees of his jeans.
- She fell to her knees.
( = she went down on her knees)
At the end of the race, she was so tired that she fell to her knees. - They were brought to their knees.
( = they were on the point of defeat/very weak)
The government was brought to its knees by the scandal. - He was on his knees.
( = on the point of defeat or collapse)
The tennis player was on his knees, but he refused to give up. - He went down on bended knee.
( = he put one knee on the ground)
He went down on bended knee and asked her to marry him. - She went weak at the knees.
( = she felt temporarily unable to stand)
When she met David Beckham, she went weak at the knees. - His knees were knocking.
( = he was very nervous)
Just before he walked into the interview room, his knees were knocking. - She's the bee's knees.
( = she is great/the best)
It was a fantastic performance. She's the bee's knees when it comes to jazz singing.
- kneecap
( = the bone at the front of your knee)
The footballer broke his kneecap. It was very painful. - knee-deep
( = up to your knees)
The snow was knee-deep. We couldn't leave the house. - knee-high
( = up to your knees)
She wore knee-high socks.
- knee-length
( = reaching your knees)
She wore a knee-length skirt. - knee-jerk
( = immediate and unconsidered)
It was a knee-jerk reaction. I should have thought about what I was doing.
- shin
- ankle
- lap
- joint
- thigh
⇒ Learn more words in the Word of the Week archive