verb

knead

need

verb

To press, fold, and work a soft mixture (especially dough) with the hands until it becomes smooth and even.

"She kneaded the dough for ten minutes until it turned smooth and elastic."

"He kneaded the sore muscles in her back."

Of a cat: to push its paws rhythmically against a soft surface, an instinctive behaviour left over from kittenhood.

"The cat curled up on the blanket, kneading it contentedly before falling asleep."

How to Use Knead

Learner’s notes

In plain EnglishTo work something soft, usually dough or muscle, by pressing and folding it repeatedly with your hands.

Common pairings

knead the dough knead dough by hand knead a knot out of a muscle

kneaded past tense, knead past tense, kneaden past tense, knodden past tense, kneads plural, kneads singular

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She _____ the dough for ten minutes until it turned smooth and elastic.

From Old English cnedan, going back to a Proto-Germanic root meaning "to press together."

head read lead dead bead mead bread plead tread ahead dread stead