Meaning & use
utility knife
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Meanings
nouncountable
A tool with a short, sharp blade, often one that slides out of a handle, used to cut cardboard, carpet, tape and similar materials.
Grammar: Countable: a utility knife, two utility knives.
Patterns
- cut something with a utility knife
- a retractable utility knife
He opened the boxes with a utility knife.
Always retract the blade of the utility knife when you finish.
She trimmed the wallpaper with a utility knife.
nouncountable
A medium-sized kitchen knife used for slicing fruit, vegetables and sandwiches, smaller than a chef's knife.
Grammar: Here it is a cooking tool, so context decides which sense is meant.
Patterns
- slice something with a utility knife
Use a utility knife to cut the tomatoes.
The set comes with a chef's knife and a utility knife.
She sliced the apple with a small utility knife.
Word forms
| plural | utility knives |
|---|
Common combinations
- a sharp utility knife
- Use a sharp utility knife for clean cuts.
- retractable utility knife
- He kept a retractable utility knife in his toolbox.
- change the blade of a utility knife
- Change the blade of the utility knife when it goes dull.
- cut with a utility knife
- Cut the carpet with a utility knife.
- score with a utility knife
- Score the plasterboard with a utility knife and snap it.
Synonyms and how they differ
- box cutter
- Box cutter focuses on opening cardboard and is the usual American word for the slide-out blade version.
- Stanley knife
- Stanley knife is a British brand name used as a general word for a retractable cutter.
- craft knife
- Craft knife has a thinner blade for detailed work such as models and paper.
Word family
- utility noun
- usefulness or a public service such as water
- utilitarian adjective
- designed to be useful rather than beautiful
- knife noun
- a blade with a handle for cutting
Commonly confused: utility knife or pocket knife?
utility knife vs pocket knife
A pocket knife folds into its handle and often has several blades. A utility knife is built for cutting work materials.
Practice
A builder needs to cut open a sealed carton quickly. Which tool is the best fit?
Choose one answer.
A utility knife has a sharp blade made for cutting materials like cardboard. The other tools measure, level or paint.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “utility knife”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.