Meaning of know in English

know

verb

/nəʊ/ us

/noʊ/

knew | known

know verb (HAVE INFORMATION)

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A1 [ I or T, not continuous ]

to have information in your mind:

"Where did he go?" "I don't know."

"What does it cost?" "Ask Kate. She'll know."

She knows the name of every kid in the school.

know something about someone/something I don't know anything about this.

[ + question word ] We don't know when he's arriving.

I don't know (= understand) what all the fuss is about.

[ + (that) ] I just knew (that) it was going to be a disaster.

She knew (= was aware) (that) something was wrong.

know someone/something to be something The authorities know him to be (= know that he is) a cocaine dealer.

know someone/something to do something Even small amounts of these substances are known to cause skin problems.

know someone/something to have something We know her to have many enemies.

Thesaurus: synonyms, antonyms, and examples

aware of something

awareWe are aware that some people are getting frustrated.
consciousI am conscious of the need for greater scrutiny of these matters.
cognizantMost people are cognizant of the fact that some pollsters ask leading questions.
knowWe know that people who are stressed out look haggard.

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Thesaurus: synonyms, antonyms, and examples

to know facts

knowI know you've been hiding something from me.
be familiar withI'm very familiar with various accountancy software packages.
informedit's important to keep the public informed about the steps they're taking.
be apprised ofThe suspect will be apprised of their rights.
realizeI realized that it was too late to stop them from finding out.
have heard ofMost Americans have never heard of the California Air Resources Board.

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A1 [ T not continuous ]

used to ask someone to tell you a piece of information:

Do you know the time?

[ + question word ] Do you know where the Post Office is?

A2 [ I or T, not continuous ]

to be certain:

[ + (that) ] I know (that) she'll be really pleased to hear the news.

[ + question word ] I don't know whether I should tell her or not.

as far as someone knows The party is at Sarah's house as far as I know (= I think but I am not certain).

so far as someone knows He says that so far as he knows (= he thinks but he is not certain), she has never fainted before.

More examplesFewer examples

"Will the table fit in here?" "I don't know - let's measure it."
I still don't know whether she's coming or not.
It's a bit suspicious that no one knows where he was at the time of the murder.
No one knew how many troops had died in combat.
"He's been married three times." "Oh, really? I didn't know that!"

SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases

Learning & knowing

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know verb (BE FAMILIAR WITH)

B1 [ T not continuous ]

to be familiar with or have experience and understanding of:

I've known Daniel since we were at school together.

She grew up in Paris so she knows it well.

know something by heart I've seen the film "Casablanca" so many times that I know a lot of it by heart (= I know it in my memory).

Knowing Karen (= from my experience of her in the past), she'll have done a good job.

formal I have known (= experienced) great happiness in my life.

B1 [ I or T, not continuous ]

If you know a subject, you are familiar with it and understand it:

know about Do you know about computers?

know something inside out She knows her subject inside out (= very well).

A2 [ T not continuous ]

If you know a language, you can speak and understand it:

Do you know any French?

[ T not continuous ]

to recognize someone or something:

That's Peter alright - I'd know him anywhere!

I know a bargain when I see one.

know how to do something

to be able to do something because you have the necessary knowledge:

Do you know how to print on this computer?

get to know someone/something

to spend time with someone or something so that you gradually learn more about them or it:

The first couple of meetings are for the doctor and patient to get to know each other.

know someone by name

to have heard the name of a person but not seen or talked to them:

I know him by name, but I don't think I've ever met him.

to know a person whom you do not see or talk with very often well enough that you know their name:

She stayed at the hotel so often that she knew all the staff by name.

know someone by sight

If you know someone by sight, that person looks familiar to you, but is not a friend of yours:

Mike spends a lot of time in this area, so you'd probably know him by sight.

More examplesFewer examples

I know the first verse of the song, but I don't know what comes next.
If you don't know what the word means, look it up in a dictionary.
It's always awkward when you meet someone you know, but you can't remember their name.
He knows a lot of people, but only one or two that he'd call close friends.
I hope she knows where to get off the bus.

SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases

Learning & knowing

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Grammar

Know

We commonly use the verb know with a noun phrase, with a that-clause or with a wh-clause (e.g. who, where, why): …

Know how + infinitive

We do not commonly use know + to-infinitive. We use know how + to-infinitive: …

Know + object + infinitive

In very formal English, we use know + object + to-infinitive: …

Know without an object

To refer to general knowledge, we use know without an object: …

You know

We use you know very often in speaking as a discourse marker. We use it to check that the people we are speaking to share the same knowledge as us and understand what we are saying: …

You know

We use you know very commonly in speaking. It is used to check with our listeners that we share the same knowledge. When we use you know, we assume that the listener or listeners do have the knowledge that we want them to have: …

Idioms

before you know it
be known to be/do something
Goodness/God/Heaven/Christ knows
how was I to know?
I don't know
I don't know about you but...
I don't know how, what, why, etc.
I know
I know, right?
I'll, he'll, etc. have you know

More idioms

know something back to front
know something like the back of your hand
know your own mind
know your place
know your stuff
know your way around something
know all the answers
know all there is to know about something
know best
know better (than to do something)
know better (than someone)
know the score
know what you are doing
know what you are talking about
(you) know what I mean
know what it is (like) to
know what's what
know which side your bread is buttered (on)
something knows no bounds
not know someone from Adam
not know the first thing about something
not know the meaning of the word
not know what has hit you
not know where to put yourself
not know where/which way to turn
not know whether to laugh or cry
not that I know of
there's no knowing
(well) what do you know!
wouldn't know something if you fell over one/it
you know
you know something?
you never know

Phrasal verbs

know something from something

know of someone/something

know

noun

informal

/nəʊ/ us

/noʊ/

be in the know

to have knowledge about something that most people do not have:

This resort is considered by those who are in the know to have the best downhill skiing in Europe.

(Definition of know from the Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary & Thesaurus © Cambridge University Press)

know | American Dictionary

know

verb

/noʊ/

past tense knew us/nu/ | past participle known us/noʊn/

know verb (HAVE INFORMATION)

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[ I/T ]

to have information in your mind; to be aware of something:

[ I ] “Where did he go?” “I don’t know.”

[ T ] Do you know the answer?

[ T ] She knows the name of every kid in school.

[ + question word ] Do you know how to tap dance?

[ + question word ] We don’t know when he’s arriving.

[ + (that) clause ] I knew (that) something was wrong from the start.

[ + question word ] I want to know how much this will cost.

know of

If you know of someone or something, you have experience of or information about the person or thing:

Do you know of a good doctor?

know verb (HAVE UNDERSTANDING)

[ I/T ]

to agree with or understand the reasons for an action or opinion:

[ + question word ] I don’t know what all the fuss is about.

[ + question word ] “What a stupid movie!” “I know what you mean.”

know what it is (like) to

To know what it is (like) to be or do something is to understand because you have personally experienced it:

She knows what it’s like to go bankrupt – it happened to her 20 years ago.

know verb (BE FAMILIAR WITH)

[ I/T ]

to be familiar with a person or place:

[ T ] I’ve known Vince since we were in elementary school.

[ T ] She grew up in Hawaii so she knows it well.

[ T ] Knowing Debbie (= from my experience of her in the past), she’ll do a good job.

know verb (FEEL CERTAIN)

[ T ]

to feel certain about something:

I know I’d enjoy myself if I went.

[ + (that) clause ] I know (that) I took those library books back.

[ + wh- word ] I don’t know whether or not I should go to college.

[ T ]

to feel certain about something:

I know I’d enjoy myself if I went.

[ + (that) clause ] I know (that) I took those library books back.

[ + question word ] I don’t know whether or not I should go to college.

know verb (RECOGNIZE)

[ T ]

to recognize someone or something, or to recognize the difference between two people or things:

That’s Pete – I’d know him anywhere.

I know a bargain when I see one!

Idioms

know best
know better (than to do something)
know something like the back of your hand
know your way around something
know what you are doing
know what you are talking about
know where you stand
not know the first thing about
not know what hit you

know

noun

/noʊ/

know noun (HAVE INFORMATION)

in the know

Someone who is in the know has information about something:

Ask Keith – he’s always in the know about upcoming projects.

(Definition of know from the Cambridge Academic Content Dictionary © Cambridge University Press)

Examples of know

know

To acquaint oneself is to find out, and to be acquainted with something is to know it.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

He really ought to have known better and used as.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

We do not know what that may imply in the future.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

But there are also unknown unknowns-the ones we don't know we don't know.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

We do this because we do not know what else to do.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

On the other hand, we know that it is no less than 2m.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

I don't know enough to build up anything.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

What they don't know is that this is what they know.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

It is known that this is the case when a = r.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

They need to know what they do not know.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

However, we know from the input type that at most one tel may follow emails.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

The simple answer is: so much that it is impossible to know where to begin.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

This is known to occur and contributes to improve the performance of biological systems.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

He did not know when the pariahs had gone.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

Parliament did not know what had hit it.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

See all examples of know

These examples are from corpora and from sources on the web. Any opinions in the examples do not represent the opinion of the Cambridge Dictionary editors or of Cambridge University Press or its licensors.

What is the pronunciation of know?