shank

//ʃæŋk//
C1Frequency Level 12Neutral
Visual representation of shank

Noun

shankSingular
shanksPlural
1

The part of the human leg between the knee and the ankle.

I felt a sharp pain in my shank after running the marathon.

2

A cut of meat from the leg of an animal, especially beef or lamb.

I braised the lamb shank for three hours until it was tender.

3

The long, narrow part of a tool or instrument connecting the handle to the working end.

The shank of the drill bit was too short for the deep hole.

4

A crude knife or stabbing weapon, typically improvised in prison.

The guards found a shank hidden in the prisoner's mattress.

Verb

shankInfinitive
shankPresent tense
shankedPast tense
shankedPast participle
shankingPresent participle
shanksThird-person singular
1

To stab someone with a shank or improvised weapon.

The prisoner was shanked in the yard during the riot.

2

In golf, to strike the ball with the hosel of the club, causing it to veer sharply off course.

I shanked my approach shot and the ball flew into the trees.

Synonym