Meaning

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

Definitions by Sense

1. The part of the leg between the knee and the ankle.
2. Meat from that part of an animal.
3. (ornithology, colloquial) A redshank or greenshank, various species of Old World wading birds in the genus Tringa having distinctly colored legs.
4. A straight, narrow part of an object, such as a key or an anchor; shaft; stem.
5. The handle of a pair of shears, connecting the ride to the neck.
6. The center part of a fishhook between the eye and the hook, the 'hook' being the curved part that bends toward the point.
7. A protruding part of an object, by which it is or can be attached.
8. The metal part on a curb bit that falls below the mouthpiece, which length controls the severity of the leverage action of the bit, and to which the reins of the bridle are attached.

Example Sentences

Edward I of England was nicknamed Edward Longshanks.

His youthful hose, well saved, a world too wide / For his shrunk shank […]

The honest, rough piece of iron, so simple in appearance, has more parts than the human body has limbs: the ring, the stock, the crown, the flukes, the palms, the shank. All this, according to the journalist, is “cast” when a ship arriving at an anchorage is brought up.

This twist drill has a reduced shank so that it can be used even in a small chuck.

To a good golfer a shank is disgracefuller than being dead drunk or in jail.

LBC's tryna blackball me / And tryna blame your boy for knife crime (Like, what?) / I don't use a shank, I got money in the bank / Man, I'd rather do a drive-by

One of the shot callers' responsibilities was to control the shanks within the prison population—the crude homemade knives used for stabbing another prisoner.

the shank of the morning

Word Forms

• shanks
• shanking
• shanked
• shanker
• shankest

Synonyms for shank

Related Words

When Should You Use Shank?

Use shank when its meaning, tone and grammar fit the full sentence. A synonym is not always a direct replacement.

Practice This Word

Frequently Asked Questions