Standard Lemma guide

pocketknife

noun · 2 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

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1

noun

Meaning 1

A knife small enough for carrying safely and handily in a pocket; usually a folding knife (with blades or tools that the user can fold or retract into the handle).

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: jack-knife

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

a knife with a blade that folds into the handle; suitable for carrying in the pocket

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: pocket knife

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: knife

Narrower terms: clasp knife, jackknife, penknife, switchblade, switchblade knife, flick-knife, flick knife

History

Etymology

From pocket + knife.

Across languages

Translations

75 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Albanian: thikëz — small knife whose blades or tools can fold in its handle
  • Albanian: brisk — small knife whose blades or tools can fold in its handle
  • Albanian: biçak — small knife whose blades or tools can fold in its handle
  • Armenian: գրպանի դանակ (grpani danak) — small knife whose blades or tools can fold in its handle
  • Armenian: ծալովի դանակ (calovi danak) — small knife whose blades or tools can fold in its handle
  • Armenian: չախու (čʻaxu) — small knife whose blades or tools can fold in its handle
  • Azerbaijani: cib bıçağı — small knife whose blades or tools can fold in its handle
  • Bashkir: бәке (bəke) — small knife whose blades or tools can fold in its handle
  • Basque: labana — small knife whose blades or tools can fold in its handle
  • Belarusian: складаны нож (skladany nož) — small knife whose blades or tools can fold in its handle
  • Breton: kanived — small knife whose blades or tools can fold in its handle
  • Bulgarian: джобен нож (džoben nož) — small knife whose blades or tools can fold in its handle
  • Bulgarian: швейцарски нож (švejcarski nož) — small knife whose blades or tools can fold in its handle
  • Catalan: navalla — small knife whose blades or tools can fold in its handle
  • Chinese Cantonese: 刀仔 (dou1 zai2) — small knife whose blades or tools can fold in its handle
  • Chinese Mandarin: 小刀 (xiǎodāo) — small knife whose blades or tools can fold in its handle
  • Czech: kapesní nůž — small knife whose blades or tools can fold in its handle
  • Danish: lommekniv — small knife whose blades or tools can fold in its handle
  • Dutch: zakmes — small knife whose blades or tools can fold in its handle
  • Esperanto: poŝtranĉilo — small knife whose blades or tools can fold in its handle
  • Faroese: lummaknívur — small knife whose blades or tools can fold in its handle
  • Finnish: taskuveitsi — small knife whose blades or tools can fold in its handle
  • Finnish: linkkuveitsi — small knife whose blades or tools can fold in its handle
  • Finnish: monitoimiveitsi — small knife whose blades or tools can fold in its handle
  • French: canif — small knife whose blades or tools can fold in its handle
  • Galician: canivete — small knife whose blades or tools can fold in its handle
  • Galician: faca — small knife whose blades or tools can fold in its handle
  • Galician: furrusca — small knife whose blades or tools can fold in its handle
  • Galician: solla — small knife whose blades or tools can fold in its handle
  • Galician: navalla — small knife whose blades or tools can fold in its handle
  • Georgian: ჯიბის დანა (ǯibis dana) — small knife whose blades or tools can fold in its handle
  • German: Taschenmesser — small knife whose blades or tools can fold in its handle
  • German: Klappmesser — small knife whose blades or tools can fold in its handle
  • Greek: σουγιάς (sougiás) — small knife whose blades or tools can fold in its handle
  • Hebrew: אוֹלָר (olár) — small knife whose blades or tools can fold in its handle
  • Hungarian: zsebkés — small knife whose blades or tools can fold in its handle
  • Hungarian: bicska — small knife whose blades or tools can fold in its handle
  • Icelandic: vasahnífur — small knife whose blades or tools can fold in its handle
  • Ido: kulteleto — small knife whose blades or tools can fold in its handle
  • Irish: scian phóca — small knife whose blades or tools can fold in its handle
  • Jamaican Creole: ratchet — small knife whose blades or tools can fold in its handle
  • Japanese: ポケットナイフ (pokettonaifu) — small knife whose blades or tools can fold in its handle
  • Korean: 주머니칼 (jumeonikal) — small knife whose blades or tools can fold in its handle
  • Northern Kurdish: kêrika berîkê — small knife whose blades or tools can fold in its handle
  • Maltese: temprin tal-but — small knife whose blades or tools can fold in its handle
  • Māori: naihi whakakopa — small knife whose blades or tools can fold in its handle
  • Mongolian: халаасны хутга (xalaasny xutga) — small knife whose blades or tools can fold in its handle
  • Norwegian Bokmål: lommekniv — small knife whose blades or tools can fold in its handle
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: lommekniv — small knife whose blades or tools can fold in its handle
  • Polish: scyzoryk — small knife whose blades or tools can fold in its handle
  • Portuguese: canivete — small knife whose blades or tools can fold in its handle
  • Romanian: briceag — small knife whose blades or tools can fold in its handle
  • Romanian: cuțit de buzunar — small knife whose blades or tools can fold in its handle
  • Russian: карма́нный нож (karmánnyj nož) — small knife whose blades or tools can fold in its handle
  • Russian: складно́й нож (skladnój nož) — small knife whose blades or tools can fold in its handle
  • Russian: перочи́нный нож (peročínnyj nož) — small knife whose blades or tools can fold in its handle
  • Serbo-Croatian: џепни нож — small knife whose blades or tools can fold in its handle
  • Serbo-Croatian: перорез — small knife whose blades or tools can fold in its handle
  • Serbo-Croatian: džepni nož — small knife whose blades or tools can fold in its handle
  • Serbo-Croatian: perorez — small knife whose blades or tools can fold in its handle
  • Spanish: navaja — small knife whose blades or tools can fold in its handle
  • Swedish: fickkniv — small knife whose blades or tools can fold in its handle
  • Swedish: fällkniv — small knife whose blades or tools can fold in its handle
  • Swedish: pennkniv — small knife whose blades or tools can fold in its handle
  • Tajik: корд ҷайб (kord jayb) — small knife whose blades or tools can fold in its handle
  • Thai: มีดพก — small knife whose blades or tools can fold in its handle
  • Thai: มีดพับ (mîit-páp) — small knife whose blades or tools can fold in its handle
  • Tok Pisin: poketnaip — small knife whose blades or tools can fold in its handle
  • Turkish: çakı — small knife whose blades or tools can fold in its handle
  • Turkish: cep bıçağı — small knife whose blades or tools can fold in its handle
  • Ottoman Turkish: چاقی (çakı) — small knife whose blades or tools can fold in its handle
  • Ottoman Turkish: صویا (soya) — small knife whose blades or tools can fold in its handle
  • Ukrainian: складаний ніж (skladanyj niž) — small knife whose blades or tools can fold in its handle
  • Volapük: pokaneif — small knife whose blades or tools can fold in its handle
  • Welsh: cyllell boced — small knife whose blades or tools can fold in its handle
Real reading context

pocketknife in complete knowledge articles