Meanings
- figurativelyinformalUsed to describe a situation that is extremely tense, heavy, or full of strong emotion.
Synonyms: you could cut the air with a knife
Synonyms & antonyms
phraseUsed to describe a situation that is extremely tense, heavy, or full of strong emotion.
Origin
Alluding to a figuratively thick atmosphere. Compare French à couper au couteau.
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
you could cut the atmosphere with a knife. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/you%20could%20cut%20the%20atmosphere%20with%20a%20knife
“you could cut the atmosphere with a knife.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/you%20could%20cut%20the%20atmosphere%20with%20a%20knife. Accessed November 5, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “you could cut the atmosphere with a knife,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/you%20could%20cut%20the%20atmosphere%20with%20a%20knife.
Source: you could cut the atmosphere with a knife on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.