know (knows 3rd person present) (knowing present participle) (knew past tense) (known past participle )
1 verb If you know a fact, a piece of information, or an answer, you have it correctly in your mind.
no cont
I don't know the name of the place... V n
`People like doing things for nothing.'—`I know they do.'... V that
I don't know what happened to her husband... V wh
`How did he meet your mother?'—`I don't know.'... V
We all know about his early experiments in flying... V about n/-ing
They looked younger than I knew them to be... V n to-inf
It is not known whether the bomb was originally intended for the capital itself... it be V-ed wh
It's always been known that key figures in the government do very well for themselves. it be V-ed that
2 verb If you know someone, you are familiar with them because you have met them and talked to them before.
no cont
Gifford was a friend. I'd known him for nine years... V n
Do you two know each other?... V n
3 verb If you say that you know of something, you mean that you have heard about it but you do not necessarily have a lot of information about it.
no cont
We know of the incident but have no further details... V of n
I know of no one who would want to murder Albert. V of n
4 verb If you knowabout a subject, you have studied it or taken an interest in it, and understand part or all of it.
no cont
Hire someone with experience, someone who knows about real estate... V about n
She didn't know anything about music but she liked to sing. V amount about n
5 verb If you know a language, you have learned it and can understand it.
no cont
It helps to know French and Creole if you want to understand some of the lyrics... V n
6 verb If you know something such as a place, a work of art, or an idea, you have visited it, seen it, read it, or heard about it, and so you are familiar with it.
no cont
No matter how well you know Paris, it is easy to get lost... V n
7 verb If you knowhow to do something, you have the necessary skills and knowledge to do it.
no cont
The health authorities now know how to deal with the disease... V wh-to-inf
We know what to do to make it work. V wh-to-inf
8 verb You can say that someone knowsthat something is happening when they become aware of it.
no cont
Then I saw a gun under the hall table so I knew that something was wrong... V that
The first I knew about it was when I woke up in the ambulance. V about n
9 verb If you know something or someone, you recognize them when you see them or hear them.
no cont
Would she know you if she saw you on the street?... V n
10 verb If someone or something is knownas a particular name, they are called by that name.
no cont
The disease is more commonly known as Mad Cow Disease... be V-ed as n
He was born as John Birks Gillespie, but everyone knew him as Dizzy... V n as n
He was the only boy in the school who was known by his Christian name and not his surname. V n by n
...British Nuclear Fuels, otherwise known as BNFL. V-ed
11 verb If you know someone or something as a person or thing that has particular qualities, you consider that they have those qualities.
Lots of people know her as a very kind woman... V n as n
13 If you talk about a thing or system as we know it, you are referring to the form in which it exists now and which is familiar to most people.
as we know it phrase n PHR
He planned to end the welfare system as we know it.
14 If you get to know someone, you find out what they are like by spending time with them.
to get to know sb phrase get inflects, PHR n
The new neighbours were getting to know each other...
15 People use expressions such as goodness knows, Heaven knows, and God knows when they do not know something and want to suggest that nobody could possibly know it.
INFORMAL
heaven/god/lord/christ etc knows phrase PHR as reply, PHR wh
`Who's he?'—`God knows.'
16 You say `I know' to show that you agree with what has just been said.
I know convention
`This country is so awful.'—`I know, I know.'
17 You say `I know' to show that you accept that something is true, but think that it is not very important or relevant.
I know convention
`There are trains straight from Cambridge.'—`I know, but it's no quicker.'
18 You use `I know' to express sympathy and understanding towards someone.
I know (how you feel, etc) phrase PHR wh/that
I know what you're going through.
19 You can use I don't know to indicate that you do not completely agree with something or do not really think that it is true.
I don't know (about that) phrase usu PHR about n, PHR that
`He should quite simply resign.'—`I don't know about that.'
20 You can say `I don't know about you' to indicate that you are going to give your own opinion about something and you want to find out if someone else feels the same.
I don't know about you phrase PHR but cl
I don't know about the rest of you, but I'm hungry...
21 You use I don't know in expressions which indicate criticism of someone's behaviour. For example, if you say that you do not know how someone can do something, you mean that you cannot understand or accept them doing it.
I don't know how/what phrase PHR wh (disapproval)
I don't know how he could do this to his own daughter...
22 People sometimes use expressions such as I'm blessed if I know or damned if I know to emphasize the fact that they do not know something.
INFORMAL
(I'm) blessed/damned/buggered if I know phrase oft PHR as reply, PHR wh (emphasis)
`What was that all about?'—`Darned if I know.'
23 If you are in the know about something, especially something that is not known about or understood by many people, you have information about it.
in the know phrase usu v-link PHR
It was gratifying to be in the know about important people...
24 You can use expressions such as you know what I mean and if you know what I mean to suggest that the person listening to you understands what you are trying to say, and so you do not have to explain any more.
SPOKEN
you know what I mean convention
None of us stayed long. I mean, the atmosphere wasn't<endash>well, you know what I mean...
25 You say `You never know' or `One never knows' to indicate that it is not definite or certain what will happen in the future, and to suggest that there is some hope that things will turn out well.
you never know convention
(vagueness)
You never know, I might get lucky...
26 You say `Not that I know of' when someone has asked you whether or not something is true and you think the answer is `no' but you cannot be sure because you do not know all the facts.
not that I know of convention
(vagueness)
`Is he married?'—`Not that I know of.'
27 You can use expressions such as What does she know? and What do they know? when you think that someone has no right to comment on a situation because they do not understand it.
what does sb know phrase oft PHR about n (disapproval)
Don't listen to him, what does he know?...
28 You use you know to emphasize or to draw attention to what you are saying.
SPOKEN
you know convention
(emphasis)
The conditions in there are awful, you know..., You know, it does worry me.
29 You use you know when you are trying to explain more clearly what you mean, by referring to something that the person you are talking to knows about.
SPOKEN
you know convention
Wear the white dress, you know, the one with all the black embroidery.
30 You can say `You don't know' in order to emphasize how strongly you feel about the remark you are going to make.
SPOKEN
you don't know phrase PHR wh (emphasis)
You don't know how good it is to speak to somebody from home.
31 →
to know best →
best →
to know better →
better →
to know no bounds →
bound →
to know something for a fact →
fact →
as far as I know →
far →
not to know the first thing about something →
first →
to know full well →
full →
to let someone know →
let →
not to know the meaning of the word →
meaning →
to know your own mind →
mind →
to know the ropes →
rope
know-all (know-alls plural )If you say that someone is a know-all, you are critical of them because they think that they know a lot more than other people.
(BRIT)
INFORMAL n-count
(disapproval)
in AM, use know-it-all
know-how
in AM, use knowhow
Know-how is knowledge of the methods or techniques of doing something, especially something technical or practical.
INFORMAL n-uncount usu with supp
(=expertise)
He hasn't got the know-how to run a farm.
know-it-all (know-it-alls plural )If you say that someone is a know-it-all, you are critical of them because they think that they know a lot more than other people.
(AM)
INFORMAL n-count
(disapproval)
in BRIT, use know-all
