Meaning & use
knick-knacks
Last updated
“knick-knacks” is a form of “knick-knack”.
Meaning
nounpluralinformal
Small, cheap decorative objects kept around a home, such as little ornaments or souvenirs.
Grammar: Plural of knick-knack; usually used in the plural to describe a collection of such things.
Patterns
- knick-knacks on a shelf
- a collection of knick-knacks
Her shelves were crowded with knick-knacks from trips abroad.
We spent the afternoon dusting my grandmother's knick-knacks.
The gift shop sells postcards, magnets and other knick-knacks.
Word forms
| singular | knick-knack |
|---|
Common combinations
- dust the knick-knacks
- He hates having to dust all the knick-knacks.
- shelves of knick-knacks
- The living room had shelves of knick-knacks.
- little knick-knacks
- She collects little knick-knacks from flea markets.
- souvenir knick-knacks
- The market sold souvenir knick-knacks of every kind.
- clutter of knick-knacks
- A clutter of knick-knacks covered the table.
Synonyms and how they differ
- trinkets
- Trinkets are small items that are often cheap jewelry, while knick-knacks are more about small household ornaments.
- ornaments
- Ornaments is more neutral and can be valuable, whereas knick-knacks suggests small, inexpensive items.
- bric-a-brac
- Bric-a-brac is more old-fashioned and refers to odds and ends of mixed style.
- gewgaws
- Gewgaws is old-fashioned and dismissive, suggesting showy but worthless items.
Word family
- knick-knack noun
- one small decorative object
- knickknack noun
- a common spelling without the hyphen
- knack noun
- a special skill, which is a different word
- knack noun
- old source word for a clever toy
Commonly confused: knick-knacks or knack?
knick-knacks vs knack
A knack is a natural skill for doing something. It is part of the sound of knick-knack but has a different meaning.
Practice
Her grandmother's mantelpiece was covered in tiny porcelain animals and other ____.
Choose one answer.
Knick-knacks are small decorative objects, which matches tiny porcelain animals. Knapsacks are bags, so that sound-alike does not fit.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “knick-knacks”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.