knuckle bone

Meanings

1. 1nouncountablemedical

   One of the small bones in the finger joints of a hand, especially where the fingers join the hand.

   Grammar: Countable: each finger has several knuckle bones.

   Patterns

   • break a knuckle bone

   He broke a knuckle bone punching the wall.

   The X-ray showed a crack in a knuckle bone.

   Her knuckle bones ached in the cold weather.

2. 2nouncountable

   A joint of meat from an animal's leg, or a small bone from a sheep used as a game piece.

   Grammar: Often plural when meaning the game pieces: play knuckle bones.

   Patterns

   • play knuckle bones

   The cook added a knuckle bone to the soup for flavor.

   Children once played with knuckle bones instead of plastic pieces.

   The butcher saved a knuckle bone for the dog.

Word forms

Common combinations

break a knuckle bone

He broke a knuckle bone in the fall.

ham knuckle bone

A ham knuckle bone gives the soup a rich taste.

play knuckle bones

Children in the old village played knuckle bones in the dust.

bruise a knuckle bone

She bruised a knuckle bone on the door.

Synonyms and how they differ

phalanx

Phalanx is the medical word for a finger bone, so it fits anatomy texts, not everyday speech.

metacarpal

Metacarpal names the hand bones that lead to the knuckles, so it is more exact and technical.

knuckle

Knuckle usually refers to the joint as a whole, not the bone itself.

Word family

knuckle noun

the joint of a finger

knuckle verb

to press down with the knuckles

bony adjective

thin with bones showing

knuckles noun

the joints at the base of the fingers

Commonly confused: knuckle bone or knuckle?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “knuckle bone”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

Explore more words