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
William Oscar JohnsonMany 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
Andrew WeilThe 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
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
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 figurativelyBill Barich… 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
Molly IvinsThis 66-yard scoring drive Smith engineered late in the first half … basically kneecapped the home team.—Austin Murphy
Austin MurphyThe decision to liquidate $25 million worth of the band's Live Nation stock last year nearly kneecapped the company …—Steve Kandell
Steve KandellExamples of kneecap in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the WebMeredith Deliso, ABC News, 9 May 2024
Fun fact: Underneath your kneecap lives a lot of cartilage and a surface where your patella (kneecap) and femur (thigh bone) meet, Dr. Haas explains.
—Jenny McCoy, SELF, 9 May 2024
See all Example Sentences for kneecap 
Noun
The shark punctured the kneecap and just missed a nearby artery, Borrego said.
—Meredith Deliso, ABC News, 9 May 2024
Fun fact: Underneath your kneecap lives a lot of cartilage and a surface where your patella (kneecap) and femur (thigh bone) meet, Dr. Haas explains.
—Jenny McCoy, SELF, 9 May 2024
See all Example Sentences for kneecap
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Cite this Entry
“Kneecap.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/kneecap. Accessed 29 May. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
kneecap
noun
knee·cap
ˈnē-ˌkap 
: a thick flat movable bone forming the front part of the knee
called also patella
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