knew

knew — verb

1. the form of the verb 'know' used to talk about things you learned, realized, or

1.verbtransitive / intransitiveA1
Definition

the form of the verb 'know' used to talk about things you learned, realized, or were familiar with at a time in the past — for example, knowing a fact, a person, or how to do something before now

Example

Sofia knew the answer to every question on the history test.

knew + noun phrase for past knowledge

When Pedro walked into the room, Jisoo knew that something was wrong.

knew + that-clause for realized information

Common collocations
  • knew + (that) clause
  • knew + how to
  • already knew
  • never knew
  • always knew
  • knew + about
  • knew + of
Synonyms
  • learned

    focuses on the moment of discovering information, while 'knew' covers both learning and already having the information

  • realized

    emphasizes becoming aware of something, whereas 'knew' can also mean having prior awareness

  • understood

    suggests deeper comprehension; 'knew' is broader and can mean simple fact recall

  • was aware that

    more formal than 'knew' and always takes a that-clause

Antonyms
  • didn't know

    the negative form; expresses lack of past knowledge or awareness

  • forgot

    implies having known something earlier but losing the memory of it

Grammar Patterns

knew + noun phrase

knew + (that-)clause

knew + wh-word + clause

knew + how to + infinitive

knew + object + to be + complement

Usage Note

Only the past-tense form of 'know'. The base form 'know' is used for present and general truths; 'knew' refers exclusively to a past time. Unlike regular past-tense verbs, 'knew' does not take an -ed ending.

Common Mistakes

Yesterday I know the answer.
Yesterday I knew the answer.
Use 'knew' for past time, not the present-tense 'know'.
She has knew him since 2010.
She has known him since 2010.
After 'has' or 'have', use the past participle 'known', not the past simple 'knew'.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: verb/1

All four words describe coming to have information in the past, but they differ in timing and focus. 'Knew' is the broadest — it can mean you already had the information (Sofia knew the answer) or that you became aware at a moment in the past (Jisoo knew something was wrong). 'Learned' emphasizes the process of gaining new information ('Quinn learned to play the guitar last summer'). 'Realized' highlights the sudden moment of understanding ('Hamza suddenly realized he had left his keys at home'). 'Found out' focuses on discovering a fact, often through external sources ('Adina found out the shop was closed on Sundays'). Use 'knew' for general past awareness; use 'learned', 'realized', or 'found out' when you want to emphasize how or when the awareness came.

knew ↗learnedrealizedfound out

Common collocations

Nouns

  • knew the answer
  • knew the truth
  • knew the way

Adverbs

  • already knew
  • never knew
  • always knew
  • really knew

Phrases

  • knew for a fact
  • knew by heart
  • knew from experience

Prepositions

  • knew about
  • knew of

Etymology

Proto-Indo-EuropeanGermanicOld EnglishMiddle EnglishEnglish

'Knew' is the past-tense form of 'know'. Both words come from Old English: 'cnāwan' (to know) produced the past-tense 'cnēow'. This verb goes back to the ancient Proto-Indo-European root *ǵneh₃- (to know or recognize), which also gave Latin 'gnoscere' (to get to know) and Greek 'gignōskein' (to know, perceive). Over time the spelling changed from 'knew' (paralleling the sound shift seen in 'know' where the 'k' stayed but the 'kn' became silent).