Meaning & use
the shiv
Last updated
a knife made by hand, especially one made by a prisoner from a sharp object
See it in a sentence
The prisoner was caught with a shiv hidden in his mattress.
In the movie, the character makes a shiv from a toothbrush.
A note on using this word
This is a slang word for a homemade knife, often used in prisons. It is not polite in everyday conversation and usually appears in crime stories or news reports.
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