Meaning & use
knead
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Meanings
verbtransitive
To work dough with your hands by pressing, folding and stretching it so that it becomes smooth.
Grammar: Takes an object: knead the dough.
Patterns
- knead dough
- knead something into something
Knead the dough for ten minutes until it feels elastic.
She kneaded the bread on a floured table.
He kneaded the butter into the flour with his fingertips.
verbtransitive
To press and rub something, especially a muscle, with the fingers or hands.
Grammar: Takes an object, often a body part.
Patterns
- knead someone's shoulders
- knead something with something
The therapist kneaded the tight muscles in his back.
The cat kneaded the blanket before lying down.
She kneaded her sore neck with both hands.
verbtransitive
To press and shape clay or a similar soft material by hand.
Grammar: Takes an object: knead the clay.
Patterns
- knead clay
The potter kneaded the clay to remove air bubbles.
Children kneaded colored modeling clay into animals.
He kneaded the putty until it was soft.
Word forms
| third person singular | kneads |
|---|---|
| past tense | kneaded |
| past participle | kneaded |
| -ing form | kneading |
Common combinations
- knead the dough
- Knead the dough on a floured surface.
- knead gently
- Knead gently so the skin does not tear.
- knead until smooth
- Knead until smooth and slightly sticky.
- knead into
- Knead the herbs into the dough.
- knead muscles
- She kneaded her tired muscles after the run.
Synonyms and how they differ
- massage
- Massage is used mainly for rubbing the body to relieve tension, while knead can also mean working dough or clay.
- work
- Work is a vague general verb for handling material, whereas knead names the specific press-and-fold action.
- press
- Press is a single push, while knead repeats a pressing and folding motion.
Word family
Commonly confused: knead or need?
knead vs need
Need sounds identical but means to require; knead has a silent k and means to work dough.
Practice
The recipe says to ___ the dough for ten minutes.
Choose one answer.
Knead is the verb for working dough. Need sounds the same but means require, so it is the tempting wrong spelling.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “knead”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.