Jack-knife Definition

noun

He kept a jack-knife in his pocket for various tasks.

Wiktionary

The front-dive pike, in which the body folds and unfolds.

It took me hundreds of dives to master even the simple jackknife.

Wiktionary

(colloquial) A semi-trailer truck accident in which the vehicle mimics the closing of a jack-knife.

I have seen several jack-knives along that dangerous stretch of road.

Wiktionary

(statistics) Alternative spelling of jackknife.

Wiktionary

verb

To fold in the middle, as a jackknife does.

The cat jackknifed in the air and landed gracefully on its feet.

Wiktionary

(colloquial) To cause a semi-trailer truck to fold like a jackknife in a traffic accident.

Before I knew what was happening, I'd jack-knifed the truck like nobody's business.

Before I knew what was happening, I'd jack-knifed.

Wiktionary

Other Word Forms of Jack-knife

Singular:

jack-knife

Plural:

jack-knives

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