twist/turn the knife (in the wound)
idiom
informal
: to say or do things that cause more pain to someone who is already suffering
Any more cuts in government aid to these poor people will be twisting the knife in the wound.
Examples of twist/turn the knife (in the wound) in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Co-written by and starring Flanagan’s wife, the great Kate Siegel, Hush is a home-invasion thriller that never runs out of ways to twist the knife, literally and figuratively, on its intrepid and resourceful protagonist.
—
Matthew Jackson, Vulture, 8 June 2025
Apple is not legally required to re-admit Fortnite, but the questions now are whether Apple is going to nitpick some specific thing to deny the app that caused all this, or whether Fortnite has somehow pushed the bounds of the results of the case to twist the knife even further.
—Paul Tassi, Forbes.com, 13 May 2025
Firmly tap the pit with a knife so the knife is wedged into the pit; turn the knife like a key to disengage the pit from the avocado.
—Sarah Martens, Better Homes & Gardens, 13 Mar. 2025
Depressing headline from The Athletic Nobody can twist the knife quite like an editor.
—Sean McIndoe, The Athletic, 26 Dec. 2024
One of the features that is bound to turn the knife and sheath into a fidget favorite is that there is an extremely satisfying click when the knife is slid back into position after having been removed and used.
—Michael Franco, New Atlas, 28 Nov. 2024
Later questions twist the knife even further, delving into white-guy hypocrisy around Black Lives Matter.
—Joe Berkowitz, Vulture, 3 Nov. 2024
Trump was happy to twist the knife at a rally in Tempe on Thursday, hours before Biden flew into the nearby Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport.
—Stephanie Murray, The Arizona Republic, 25 Oct. 2024
Republicans, eager to twist the knife into Biden and the Democrats, will probably embrace Netanyahu and his defiant position on the war.
—Ishaan Tharoor, Washington Post, 22 July 2024
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Matthew Jackson, Vulture, 8 June 2025
Apple is not legally required to re-admit Fortnite, but the questions now are whether Apple is going to nitpick some specific thing to deny the app that caused all this, or whether Fortnite has somehow pushed the bounds of the results of the case to twist the knife even further.
—Paul Tassi, Forbes.com, 13 May 2025
Firmly tap the pit with a knife so the knife is wedged into the pit; turn the knife like a key to disengage the pit from the avocado.
—Sarah Martens, Better Homes & Gardens, 13 Mar. 2025
Depressing headline from The Athletic Nobody can twist the knife quite like an editor.
—Sean McIndoe, The Athletic, 26 Dec. 2024
One of the features that is bound to turn the knife and sheath into a fidget favorite is that there is an extremely satisfying click when the knife is slid back into position after having been removed and used.
—Michael Franco, New Atlas, 28 Nov. 2024
Later questions twist the knife even further, delving into white-guy hypocrisy around Black Lives Matter.
—Joe Berkowitz, Vulture, 3 Nov. 2024
Trump was happy to twist the knife at a rally in Tempe on Thursday, hours before Biden flew into the nearby Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport.
—Stephanie Murray, The Arizona Republic, 25 Oct. 2024
Republicans, eager to twist the knife into Biden and the Democrats, will probably embrace Netanyahu and his defiant position on the war.
—Ishaan Tharoor, Washington Post, 22 July 2024
Cite this Entry
“Twist/turn the knife (in the wound).” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/twist%2Fturn%20the%20knife%20%28in%20the%20wound%29. Accessed 18 Jun. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share