"know one's place" meaning in All languages combined

See know one's place on Wiktionary

Verb [English]

Forms: knows one's place [present, singular, third-person], knowing one's place [participle, present], knew one's place [past], known one's place [participle, past]
Etymology: know (“to be aware of”) + one's place (“one's current position in life”) Etymology templates: {{af|en|know|one's place|t1=to be aware of|t2=one's current position in life}} know (“to be aware of”) + one's place (“one's current position in life”) Head templates: {{en-verb|<,,knew,known>}} know one's place (third-person singular simple present knows one's place, present participle knowing one's place, simple past knew one's place, past participle known one's place)
  1. To understand one's rank or status and behave accordingly; to act humbly. Synonyms: stay in one's lane, know some manners Coordinate_terms: learn one's place, teach one's place
    Sense id: en-know_one's_place-en-verb-D1ul0IhI
  2. To understand one's rank or status and behave accordingly; to act humbly.
    (sometimes as a racist dog whistle or euphemism) To avoid intermixing and interacting with people of other races.
    Tags: sometimes Synonyms: stay in one's lane, know some manners Coordinate_terms: learn one's place, teach one's place
    Sense id: en-know_one's_place-en-verb-wu69vfvw Categories (other): English entries with incorrect language header, Entries with translation boxes, Pages with 1 entry, Pages with entries, Terms with Hungarian translations, Terms with Indonesian translations, Terms with Italian translations, Terms with Japanese translations, Terms with Russian translations, Terms with Swedish translations Disambiguation of English entries with incorrect language header: 12 88 Disambiguation of Entries with translation boxes: 20 80 Disambiguation of Pages with 1 entry: 9 91 Disambiguation of Pages with entries: 8 92 Disambiguation of Terms with Hungarian translations: 22 78 Disambiguation of Terms with Indonesian translations: 20 80 Disambiguation of Terms with Italian translations: 20 80 Disambiguation of Terms with Japanese translations: 20 80 Disambiguation of Terms with Russian translations: 20 80 Disambiguation of Terms with Swedish translations: 19 81
The following are not (yet) sense-disambiguated
Derived forms: know your place [interjection] Related terms: uppity Translations (act humbly according to one's rank): tudja a helyét (Hungarian), tahu diri (Indonesian), saper stare al proprio posto (Italian), 自分の立場をわきまえる (jibun no tachiba wo wakimaeru) (Japanese), знать своё ме́сто (znatʹ svojó mésto) (Russian), veta hut (Swedish), veta sin plats (Swedish)
Disambiguation of "act humbly according to one's rank": 50 50

Inflected forms

Alternative forms

{
  "derived": [
    {
      "_dis1": "50 50",
      "tags": [
        "interjection"
      ],
      "word": "know your place"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "know",
        "3": "one's place",
        "t1": "to be aware of",
        "t2": "one's current position in life"
      },
      "expansion": "know (“to be aware of”) + one's place (“one's current position in life”)",
      "name": "af"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_text": "know (“to be aware of”) + one's place (“one's current position in life”)",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "knows one's place",
      "tags": [
        "present",
        "singular",
        "third-person"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "knowing one's place",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "present"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "knew one's place",
      "tags": [
        "past"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "known one's place",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "past"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "<,,knew,known>"
      },
      "expansion": "know one's place (third-person singular simple present knows one's place, present participle knowing one's place, simple past knew one's place, past participle known one's place)",
      "name": "en-verb"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "verb",
  "related": [
    {
      "_dis1": "50 50",
      "word": "uppity"
    }
  ],
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [],
      "coordinate_terms": [
        {
          "word": "learn one's place"
        },
        {
          "word": "teach one's place"
        }
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "bold_text_offsets": [
            [
              43,
              57
            ]
          ],
          "ref": "1871 September 1, John Ruskin, “Letter IX”, in Fors Clavigera. Letters to the Workmen and Labourers of Great Britain, volume I, Orpington, Kent: George Allen, →OCLC, page 7:",
          "text": "Had he been taught early and thoroughly to know his place, and be content with his faculty, he would have been one of the happiest and most serviceable of men.",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "bold_text_offsets": [
            [
              52,
              67
            ]
          ],
          "ref": "2007 September 25, Bungie, Halo 3, Microsoft Game Studios, Xbox 360, level/area: Terminal Five (Heroic):",
          "text": "Your civilization has seen its final days. You will know your place.",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To understand one's rank or status and behave accordingly; to act humbly."
      ],
      "id": "en-know_one's_place-en-verb-D1ul0IhI",
      "links": [
        [
          "rank",
          "rank"
        ],
        [
          "status",
          "status"
        ],
        [
          "behave",
          "behave"
        ],
        [
          "humbly",
          "humbly"
        ]
      ],
      "synonyms": [
        {
          "word": "stay in one's lane"
        },
        {
          "word": "know some manners"
        }
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "_dis": "12 88",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "20 80",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Entries with translation boxes",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "9 91",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Pages with 1 entry",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "8 92",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Pages with entries",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "22 78",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Hungarian translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "20 80",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Indonesian translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "20 80",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Italian translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "20 80",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Japanese translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "20 80",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Russian translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "19 81",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Swedish translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        }
      ],
      "coordinate_terms": [
        {
          "word": "learn one's place"
        },
        {
          "word": "teach one's place"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To understand one's rank or status and behave accordingly; to act humbly.",
        "To avoid intermixing and interacting with people of other races."
      ],
      "id": "en-know_one's_place-en-verb-wu69vfvw",
      "links": [
        [
          "rank",
          "rank"
        ],
        [
          "status",
          "status"
        ],
        [
          "behave",
          "behave"
        ],
        [
          "humbly",
          "humbly"
        ],
        [
          "dog whistle",
          "dog whistle"
        ],
        [
          "euphemism",
          "euphemism"
        ],
        [
          "intermix",
          "intermix"
        ],
        [
          "interact",
          "interact"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "To understand one's rank or status and behave accordingly; to act humbly.",
        "(sometimes as a racist dog whistle or euphemism) To avoid intermixing and interacting with people of other races."
      ],
      "raw_tags": [
        "as a racist dog whistle or euphemism"
      ],
      "synonyms": [
        {
          "word": "stay in one's lane"
        },
        {
          "word": "know some manners"
        }
      ],
      "tags": [
        "sometimes"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "translations": [
    {
      "_dis1": "50 50",
      "code": "hu",
      "lang": "Hungarian",
      "lang_code": "hu",
      "sense": "act humbly according to one's rank",
      "word": "tudja a helyét"
    },
    {
      "_dis1": "50 50",
      "code": "id",
      "lang": "Indonesian",
      "lang_code": "id",
      "sense": "act humbly according to one's rank",
      "word": "tahu diri"
    },
    {
      "_dis1": "50 50",
      "code": "it",
      "lang": "Italian",
      "lang_code": "it",
      "sense": "act humbly according to one's rank",
      "word": "saper stare al proprio posto"
    },
    {
      "_dis1": "50 50",
      "code": "ja",
      "lang": "Japanese",
      "lang_code": "ja",
      "roman": "jibun no tachiba wo wakimaeru",
      "sense": "act humbly according to one's rank",
      "word": "自分の立場をわきまえる"
    },
    {
      "_dis1": "50 50",
      "code": "ru",
      "lang": "Russian",
      "lang_code": "ru",
      "roman": "znatʹ svojó mésto",
      "sense": "act humbly according to one's rank",
      "word": "знать своё ме́сто"
    },
    {
      "_dis1": "50 50",
      "code": "sv",
      "lang": "Swedish",
      "lang_code": "sv",
      "sense": "act humbly according to one's rank",
      "word": "veta hut"
    },
    {
      "_dis1": "50 50",
      "code": "sv",
      "lang": "Swedish",
      "lang_code": "sv",
      "sense": "act humbly according to one's rank",
      "word": "veta sin plats"
    }
  ],
  "word": "know one's place"
}
{
  "categories": [
    "English compound terms",
    "English entries with incorrect language header",
    "English lemmas",
    "English multiword terms",
    "English verbs",
    "Entries with translation boxes",
    "Pages with 1 entry",
    "Pages with entries",
    "Terms with Hungarian translations",
    "Terms with Indonesian translations",
    "Terms with Italian translations",
    "Terms with Japanese translations",
    "Terms with Russian translations",
    "Terms with Swedish translations"
  ],
  "derived": [
    {
      "tags": [
        "interjection"
      ],
      "word": "know your place"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "know",
        "3": "one's place",
        "t1": "to be aware of",
        "t2": "one's current position in life"
      },
      "expansion": "know (“to be aware of”) + one's place (“one's current position in life”)",
      "name": "af"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_text": "know (“to be aware of”) + one's place (“one's current position in life”)",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "knows one's place",
      "tags": [
        "present",
        "singular",
        "third-person"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "knowing one's place",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "present"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "knew one's place",
      "tags": [
        "past"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "known one's place",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "past"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "<,,knew,known>"
      },
      "expansion": "know one's place (third-person singular simple present knows one's place, present participle knowing one's place, simple past knew one's place, past participle known one's place)",
      "name": "en-verb"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "verb",
  "related": [
    {
      "word": "uppity"
    }
  ],
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        "English terms with quotations"
      ],
      "coordinate_terms": [
        {
          "word": "learn one's place"
        },
        {
          "word": "teach one's place"
        }
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "bold_text_offsets": [
            [
              43,
              57
            ]
          ],
          "ref": "1871 September 1, John Ruskin, “Letter IX”, in Fors Clavigera. Letters to the Workmen and Labourers of Great Britain, volume I, Orpington, Kent: George Allen, →OCLC, page 7:",
          "text": "Had he been taught early and thoroughly to know his place, and be content with his faculty, he would have been one of the happiest and most serviceable of men.",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "bold_text_offsets": [
            [
              52,
              67
            ]
          ],
          "ref": "2007 September 25, Bungie, Halo 3, Microsoft Game Studios, Xbox 360, level/area: Terminal Five (Heroic):",
          "text": "Your civilization has seen its final days. You will know your place.",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To understand one's rank or status and behave accordingly; to act humbly."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "rank",
          "rank"
        ],
        [
          "status",
          "status"
        ],
        [
          "behave",
          "behave"
        ],
        [
          "humbly",
          "humbly"
        ]
      ],
      "synonyms": [
        {
          "word": "stay in one's lane"
        },
        {
          "word": "know some manners"
        }
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        "English terms with quotations"
      ],
      "coordinate_terms": [
        {
          "word": "learn one's place"
        },
        {
          "word": "teach one's place"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To understand one's rank or status and behave accordingly; to act humbly.",
        "To avoid intermixing and interacting with people of other races."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "rank",
          "rank"
        ],
        [
          "status",
          "status"
        ],
        [
          "behave",
          "behave"
        ],
        [
          "humbly",
          "humbly"
        ],
        [
          "dog whistle",
          "dog whistle"
        ],
        [
          "euphemism",
          "euphemism"
        ],
        [
          "intermix",
          "intermix"
        ],
        [
          "interact",
          "interact"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "To understand one's rank or status and behave accordingly; to act humbly.",
        "(sometimes as a racist dog whistle or euphemism) To avoid intermixing and interacting with people of other races."
      ],
      "raw_tags": [
        "as a racist dog whistle or euphemism"
      ],
      "synonyms": [
        {
          "word": "stay in one's lane"
        },
        {
          "word": "know some manners"
        }
      ],
      "tags": [
        "sometimes"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "translations": [
    {
      "code": "hu",
      "lang": "Hungarian",
      "lang_code": "hu",
      "sense": "act humbly according to one's rank",
      "word": "tudja a helyét"
    },
    {
      "code": "id",
      "lang": "Indonesian",
      "lang_code": "id",
      "sense": "act humbly according to one's rank",
      "word": "tahu diri"
    },
    {
      "code": "it",
      "lang": "Italian",
      "lang_code": "it",
      "sense": "act humbly according to one's rank",
      "word": "saper stare al proprio posto"
    },
    {
      "code": "ja",
      "lang": "Japanese",
      "lang_code": "ja",
      "roman": "jibun no tachiba wo wakimaeru",
      "sense": "act humbly according to one's rank",
      "word": "自分の立場をわきまえる"
    },
    {
      "code": "ru",
      "lang": "Russian",
      "lang_code": "ru",
      "roman": "znatʹ svojó mésto",
      "sense": "act humbly according to one's rank",
      "word": "знать своё ме́сто"
    },
    {
      "code": "sv",
      "lang": "Swedish",
      "lang_code": "sv",
      "sense": "act humbly according to one's rank",
      "word": "veta hut"
    },
    {
      "code": "sv",
      "lang": "Swedish",
      "lang_code": "sv",
      "sense": "act humbly according to one's rank",
      "word": "veta sin plats"
    }
  ],
  "word": "know one's place"
}

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This page is a part of the kaikki.org machine-readable All languages combined dictionary. This dictionary is based on structured data extracted on 2026-09-20 from the enwiktionary dump dated 2026-09-02 using wiktextract (d6fca27 and 65e1673). The data shown on this site has been post-processed and various details (e.g., extra categories) removed, some information disambiguated, and additional data merged from other sources. See the raw data download page for the unprocessed wiktextract data.

If you use this data in academic research, please cite Tatu Ylonen: Wiktextract: Wiktionary as Machine-Readable Structured Data, Proceedings of the 13th Conference on Language Resources and Evaluation (LREC), pp. 1317-1325, Marseille, 20-25 June 2022. Linking to the relevant page(s) under https://kaikki.org would also be greatly appreciated.