21 PHRASE You use I don't know in expressions which indicate criticism of someone's behaviour. For example, if you say that you do not know how someone can do something, you mean that you cannot understand or accept them doing it. [DISAPPROVAL ] □ I don't know how he could do this to his own daughter.
22 PHRASE People sometimes use expressions such as I'm blessed if I know or damned if I know to emphasize the fact that they do not know something. [INFORMAL , EMPHASIS ] □ 'What was that all about?'—'Darned if I know.'
23 PHRASE If you are in the know about something, especially something that is not known about or understood by many people, you have information about it. □ It was gratifying to be in the know about important people.
24 CONVENTION You can use expressions such as you know what I mean and if you know what I mean to suggest that the person listening to you understands what you are trying to say, and so you do not have to explain any more. [SPOKEN ] □ None of us stayed long. I mean, the atmosphere wasn't–well, you know what I mean.
25 CONVENTION You say ' You never know ' or ' One never knows ' to indicate that it is not definite or certain what will happen in the future, and to suggest that there is some hope that things will turn out well. [VAGUENESS ] □ You never know, I might get lucky.
26 CONVENTION You say ' Not that I know of ' when someone has asked you whether or not something is true and you think the answer is 'no' but you cannot be sure because you do not know all the facts. [VAGUENESS ] □ 'Is he married?'—'Not that I know of.'
27 PHRASE You can use expressions such as What does she know? and What do they know? when you think that someone has no right to comment on a situation because they do not understand it. [DISAPPROVAL ] □ [+ about ] Don't listen to him, what does he know?
28 CONVENTION You use you know to emphasize or to draw attention to what you are saying. [SPOKEN , EMPHASIS ] □ The conditions in there are awful, you know. □ You know, it does worry me.
29 CONVENTION You use you know when you are trying to explain more clearly what you mean, by referring to something that the person you are talking to knows about. [SPOKEN ] □ Wear the white dress, you know, the one with all the black embroidery.
30 PHRASE You can say ' You don't know ' in order to emphasize how strongly you feel about the remark you are going to make. [SPOKEN , EMPHASIS ] □ You don't know how good it is to speak to somebody from home.
31 to know best → see best
32 to know better → see better
33 to know no bounds → see bound ➋
34 to know something for a fact → see fact
35 as far as I know → see far
36 not to know the first thing about something → see first
37 to know full well → see full
38 to let someone know → see let
39 not to know the meaning of the word → see meaning
40 to know your own mind → see mind ➊
41 to know the ropes → see rope
kno w-all (know-alls ) N‑COUNT If you say that someone is a know-all , you are critical of them because they think that they know a lot more than other people. [BRIT , INFORMAL , DISAPPROVAL ] in AM, use know-it-all
kno w-how ◆◇◇ in AM, use knowhow N‑UNCOUNT Know-how is knowledge of the methods or techniques of doing something, especially something technical or practical. [INFORMAL ] □ He hasn't got the know-how to run a farm.
know|ing /noʊ I ŋ/ ADJ [usu ADJ n] A knowing gesture or remark is one that shows that you understand something, for example the way that someone is feeling or what they really mean, even though it has not been mentioned directly. □ Ron gave her a knowing smile. □ Dan exchanged a knowing look with Harry. ● know|ing|ly ADV □ He smiled knowingly.
know|ing|ly /noʊ I ŋli/ ADV [ADV before v] If you knowingly do something wrong, you do it even though you know it is wrong. □ He repeated that he had never knowingly taken illegal drugs.
kno w-it-all (know-it-alls ) N‑COUNT If you say that someone is a know-it-all , you are critical of them because they think that they know a lot more than other people. [AM , INFORMAL , DISAPPROVAL ] in BRIT, use know-all
knowl|edge ◆◆◇ /nɒ l I dʒ/
1 N‑UNCOUNT Knowledge is information and understanding about a subject which a person has, or which all people have. □ [+ of ] She told Parliament she had no knowledge of the affair. □ …the quest for scientific knowledge.
2 PHRASE If you say that something is true to your knowledge or to the best of your knowledge , you mean that you believe it to be true but it is possible that you do not know all the facts. □ Alec never carried a gun to my knowledge.
3 PHRASE If you do something safe in the knowledge that something else is the case, you do the first thing confidently because you are sure of the second thing. [WRITTEN ] □ You can let your kids play here, safe in the knowledge that they won't get sunburn. SYNONYMS knowledge NOUN 1
understanding: They have a basic understanding of computers.
awareness: The 1980s brought an awareness of green issues.
grasp: They have a good grasp of foreign languages.