knap

Plural: knaps

Verb

Verb Forms: knapped, knapping, knaps

To strike sharply; to break or chip by striking.
strike sharply
break a small piece off from
To break (something) into small pieces with a cracking sound; to fragment, to smash; also, to break (something) apart sharply; to snap.
To break (something) into small pieces with a cracking sound; to fragment, to smash; also, to break (something) apart sharply; to snap.
To break away flakes from (a brittle material which fractures conchoidally (“with planar concentric curves”), usually a mineral such as chert, flint, or obsidian), often to form a tool with a sharp edge or point.
To strike (something) sharply; to knock, to rap.
Followed by off: to break (something) away from another thing by striking or tapping sharply.
To say (something) crisply or sharply.
To break or fracture suddenly; to snap.
To make a cracking or snapping sound; to crack, to snap.
To strike sharply.
To speak crisply or sharply.
To cheat while gambling, especially at a dice game.
To take a small, quick bite at or of (someone or something); to nibble, to nip, to snap.
To take a small, quick bite.
Obsolete spelling of nap (“to arrest (someone); to grab or nab (someone or something); to steal (something); (obsolete) to receive (severe punishment), especially during a boxing match or a flogging; (generally) to receive (something)”).

Noun

A sudden, sharp blow, knock, or slap; a rap, a whack.
The sound made by such a blow, knock, or slap.
Synonym of chattering damsel (“a component of a traditional mill which creates a vibratory motion to impel portions of grain toward the millstone; a clapper”).
A method of cheating at a dice game.
A piece of raised ground or a short, steep slope; a small hill; a hillock, a knoll.
The crest or top of a hill.

Examples

He decided to knap away at his opponent’s lead, one small word at a time.

Origin / Etymology

The verb is derived from Late Middle English knappen (“to strike (something)”); further etymology uncertain, probably related to Middle Dutch knappen, cnappen (“to break (something) with a sharp sound, snap; to crack or crackle”) (modern Dutch knappen), probably ultimately onomatopoeic.
The noun is derived from Late Middle English knap, knappe (“sharp blow, strike”); further etymology uncertain, possibly from the verb (see above), or related to an ancestor of Danish knep and Swedish knäpp (“a flick, rap, snap”), probably ultimately onomatopoeic.

Synonyms

break off, chip, cut off, rap, chattering damsel, knack

Scrabble Score: 10

knap: valid Scrabble (US) TWL Word
knap: valid Scrabble Word in Merriam-Webster MW Dictionary
knap: valid Scrabble Word in International Collins CSW Dictionary

Words With Friends Score: 12

knap: valid Words With Friends Word