KA-BAR

US/ˈkeɪ bɑɹ/US/ˈkeɪ bɑː/

noun

A kind of combat knife used by the United States military and popular with some hunters, campers, bushcrafters, and knife collectors.

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Meanings

KA-BAR1

nounKA-BAR (plural KA-BARs)

plural KA-BARs · alternative Ka-Bar

  1. A kind of combat knife used by the United States military and popular with some hunters, campers, bushcrafters, and knife collectors.

Ka-Bar2

nounKa-Bar (plural Ka-Bars)

plural Ka-Bars

  1. Alternative letter-case form of KA-BAR.

Origin

Brand name from 1923 (Union Cutlery Co), said to be derived from the words kill a bear in a letter sent to the company by a fur trapper.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

KA-BAR. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/KA-BAR

MLA

“KA-BAR.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/KA-BAR. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “KA-BAR,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/KA-BAR.

Source: KA-BAR on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.