Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English homepage

stab

2 noun
     
stab2 [countable]
1 an act of stabbing or trying to stab someone with a knife:
severe stab wounds
a stab victim
He killed him with a stab to the heart.
2

stab of fear/disappointment/pain etc

a sudden sharp feeling of pain or a strong emotion:
He felt a stab of guilt.
3

stab at (doing) something

informal an attempt to do something, often not successfully
have/make/take a stab at (doing) something
I'll have one more stab at it.
4

stab in the back

when someone you thought was a friend tries to harm you
Definition from the Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
Advanced Learner's Dictionary.

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