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stiletto

American  
[sti-let-oh] / stɪˈlɛt oʊ /

noun

plural

stilettos, stilettoes

  1. a short dagger with a blade that is thick in proportion to its width.

  2. a pointed instrument for making eyelet holes in needlework.

  3.  spike heel.  stiletto heel.

verb (used with object)

stilettoed, stilettoing

  1. to stab or kill with a stiletto.

stiletto British  
/ stɪˈlɛtəʊ /

noun

  1. a small dagger with a slender tapered blade

  2. a sharply pointed tool used to make holes in leather, cloth, etc

  3. Also called: spike heel.   stiletto heel.  a very high heel on a woman's shoe, tapering to a very narrow tip

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

verb

  1. (tr) to stab with a stiletto

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

  • stilettolike adjective

Etymology

Origin of stiletto

First recorded in 1605–15; from Italian, equivalent to stil(o) “dagger” (from Latin stilus stylus ) + -etto -ette

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.

They later stop by the local church and the disco with Joseph Cerda Bañales, a bearded makeup artist who brandishes long stiletto nails to the rodeos.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 30, 2026

One studio manager recalled that her habit of striding across the studio in stiletto heels damaged the floor but no-one had the courage to tell her.

From BBC • Aug. 11, 2025

Yet unlike the doll of last year’s blockbuster movie, the next pop-culture star who’s about to re-emerge isn’t a statuesque blonde in stiletto heels.

From New York Times • Apr. 10, 2024

Looks finished mostly with stiletto heels and felt berets with netting.

From Seattle Times • Feb. 24, 2024

But the stiletto heel, held on only by satin ribbons, certainly wasn’t going to help me as I tried to hobble around.

From "Twilight" by Stephenie Meyer

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

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.