under the knife

Idioms

Undergoing surgery, as in He was awake the entire time he was under the knife. The phrase is often put as go under the knife meaning “be operated on,” as in When do you go under the knife? Knife standing for “surgery” was first recorded in 1880.

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

The American ski star has been in hospital in the northeastern Italian city of Treviso since her heavy fall in the women's downhill at the Milan-Cortina Games last weekend, and will go under the knife again on Saturday.

From Barron's

I was on more than 10 different medications when I went under the knife.

From The Wall Street Journal

Patients who went under the knife late last year are now debuting tighter skin, flatter stomachs and lifted eyelids to their social networks.

From The Wall Street Journal

The case managers said partners pushed surgeries and would give bonuses when clients went under the knife.

From Los Angeles Times

Jackson continued her video by explaining she has no intentions to go under the knife to address the abnormality.

From Los Angeles Times

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023