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

---

verb

1. (tr) to stab with a stiletto

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

The teaser for the film gives nothing away - the famous red stiletto heel from the first film's promotional poster is appropriately joined by a second, identical shoe.

From BBC • Jul. 2, 2025

But in the docuseries, the dancers wear narrow-pointed, thin stiletto heels that aren’t necessarily the safest to dance with and increase the risk of injury.

From Salon • Aug. 24, 2024

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

“Silence,” an installation by French Algerian artist Zoulikha Bouabdellah that displays 30 pairs of stiletto heels on the same number of Islamic prayer rugs, dominates the center of a room.

From Seattle Times • Nov. 17, 2023

One of the Freys stepped forward, a knight long and lean of limb, clean-shaved but for a grey mustache as thin as a Myrish stiletto.

From "A Dance with Dragons" by George R. R. Martin

Related Words

• ammunition
• bomb
• cannon
• firearm
• gun
• knife
• machete
• machine gun
• missile
• nerve gas
• pistol
• revolver
• rifle
• shotgun
• sword
• tear gas