plural kneecaps
: a thick flat triangular movable bone that forms the anterior point of the knee and protects the front of the joint : patella
… [Richard] Steadman did arthroscopic surgery on both knees, taking out cartilage, and adjusting synovial plica, the bands of thickened tissue that line the joint behind the kneecaps …—William Oscar Johnson
Many people who play basketball, volleyball, or soccer are all too familiar with patellar tendinitis, an inflammation of the large tendon connecting the kneecap to the upper tibia.—Andrew Weil
The stifle joint of a horse corresponds to the human knee. It has a patella, or kneecap, at the front of the joint.—Robert M. Miller
kneecapped; kneecapping; kneecaps
: to shoot or otherwise maim or disable the knee of (someone)
He was shot in both knees, deliberately maimed—"kneecapped," in local parlance.—Francis X. Clines
… punishing petty crooks and unruly juveniles by kneecapping them, sometimes with bullets, sometimes with a … power drill. The degree of crippling one receives is supposed to be a reflection of the gravity of one's crime.—Bill Barich
—often used figuratively… hearing from people who grasp their brows in dire concern over whether the President is now too damaged to carry on—this from people who have been doing their … best to kneecap the man for years.—Molly Ivins
This 66-yard scoring drive Smith engineered late in the first half … basically kneecapped the home team.—Austin Murphy
The decision to liquidate $25 million worth of the band's Live Nation stock last year nearly kneecapped the company …—Steve Kandell
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Cite this Entry
“Kneecap.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/kneecap. Accessed 25 Mar. 2025.
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