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Recent Examples of knap
If confirmed, our human ancestors started shaping bones by striking them at specific angles in a process known as knapping as much as 1.5 million years ago.
—
Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 5 Mar. 2025
Rocks could be knapped, or shaped, into knife blades, spear points, ax heads, and more, allowing hunter-gatherers to take on new prey and use animal remains for clothing and other things.
—Nathaniel Scharping, Discover Magazine, 6 Apr. 2024
Our early ancestors apparently knapped the same style of handheld, multipurpose hand ax for 1.6 million years, with only minor tweaks to the template.
—Heather Pringle, Scientific American, 1 Oct. 2016
Elders transmit other kinds of cultural knowledge, too—from environmental (what kinds of plants are poisonous or where to find water during a drought, for example) to technological (how to weave a basket or knap a stone knife, perhaps).
—Rachel Caspari, Scientific American, 1 Oct. 2016
The course was jointly led by Ojibwe elders, who taught him how to knap flint, tan hides and build wigwams.
—Franz Lidz Meghan Dhaliwal, New York Times, 13 Sep. 2022
Relics unearthed in Flores indicate that the hobbits used large stones as hammers to knap and chip away at stone flakes, shaping them into cutting tools.
—Jill Neimark, Discover Magazine, 28 July 2011
Our Paleolithic ancestors learned to knap delicate blades from round stone cobbles, hunt large game and cook their food.
—Herman Pontzer, Scientific American, 12 Dec. 2022
Knowing how to make a friction fire, or how to whittle a paddle out of a log, or how to knap stone arrowheads all have their place in a survival situation (particularly fire making).
—Jim Baird, Field & Stream, 3 Aug. 2020
Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 5 Mar. 2025
Rocks could be knapped, or shaped, into knife blades, spear points, ax heads, and more, allowing hunter-gatherers to take on new prey and use animal remains for clothing and other things.
—Nathaniel Scharping, Discover Magazine, 6 Apr. 2024
Our early ancestors apparently knapped the same style of handheld, multipurpose hand ax for 1.6 million years, with only minor tweaks to the template.
—Heather Pringle, Scientific American, 1 Oct. 2016
Elders transmit other kinds of cultural knowledge, too—from environmental (what kinds of plants are poisonous or where to find water during a drought, for example) to technological (how to weave a basket or knap a stone knife, perhaps).
—Rachel Caspari, Scientific American, 1 Oct. 2016
The course was jointly led by Ojibwe elders, who taught him how to knap flint, tan hides and build wigwams.
—Franz Lidz Meghan Dhaliwal, New York Times, 13 Sep. 2022
Relics unearthed in Flores indicate that the hobbits used large stones as hammers to knap and chip away at stone flakes, shaping them into cutting tools.
—Jill Neimark, Discover Magazine, 28 July 2011
Our Paleolithic ancestors learned to knap delicate blades from round stone cobbles, hunt large game and cook their food.
—Herman Pontzer, Scientific American, 12 Dec. 2022
Knowing how to make a friction fire, or how to whittle a paddle out of a log, or how to knap stone arrowheads all have their place in a survival situation (particularly fire making).
—Jim Baird, Field & Stream, 3 Aug. 2020
Recent Examples of Synonyms for knap
Verb
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But Perkins uses James’s physicality—the actor is visibly chiseled—to signal to the audience that Hal is fully capable of confrontation, if and when needed.—
David Sims,
The Atlantic,
21 Feb. 2025
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America has stronger protections for speech, better safeguards for religious liberty, and more robust shields for conscience than anywhere else — and, better still, those protections are chiseled into our foundational law.—
The Editors,
National Review,
18 Feb. 2025
Verb
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Avoiding those problems, Feinberg carved out a niche as a distressed investor, less politely referred to as a vulture, who knew how to find meat on the bones of decaying businesses.—
Dan Alexander,
Forbes.com,
2 Apr. 2025
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The reliefs are nearly life-size, officials said, and carved into a wall of stone belonging to a monumental tomb.—
Irene Wright,
Miami Herald,
2 Apr. 2025
Verb
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Bourdelle’s voluminous works in marble, bronze, and wood fill the lofty mezzanine, while his bronze sculptures Héraklès archer (Hercules the Archer) and Centaure mourant (Dying Centaur) highlight the garden.—
Kasia Dietz,
Travel + Leisure,
29 July 2024
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Co-developed with NISMO, Nissan’s in-house racing and customizing arm, the Hyper-Force’s carbon-fiber body is sculptured like a fighter jet with the sole purpose of going as fast as possible.—
Peter Lyon,
Forbes,
13 Nov. 2023
Verb
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Surprisingly, unlike white Christians who tend to hew Republican, Black Christians are no more likely to be Democrats or Republicans.—
Paul Du Quenoy,
MSNBC Newsweek,
26 Mar. 2025
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Faithfully adapted into an excellent Hulu limited series, the panoramic tale hewed closely to the details of Hunter’s own improbable family history, highlighting instances of fortitude, resourcefulness and luck.—
Julia M. Klein,
Los Angeles Times,
24 Feb. 2025
Verb
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The 'Monaco’s' premium construction includes a refined mix of suede, technical woven nylon, sculpted rubber, and EVA foam, fusing luxury elements and practicality.—
Cassell Ferere,
Forbes.com,
2 Apr. 2025
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But there's another reason Oquendo likes this specific formula for sculpting the face.—
Sophia Panych,
Allure,
1 Apr. 2025
Verb
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The mom of one most notably cut her hair in January 2023, debuting a head-turning, blunt bob.—
Dayna Haffenden,
People.com,
5 Apr. 2025
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Logistics giants elsewhere in the supply chain are cutting employees as well.—
Glenn Taylor,
Sourcing Journal,
4 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Knap.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/knap. Accessed 11 Apr. 2025.
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