Definition of "paring knife" []

• A small knife with a short blade and firm handle, used in paring fruit and vegetables. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "Because the blade angles forward, the edge is always shearing whatever it cuts, whereas a straight-bladed knife will strike head-on, like trying to push a paring knife through a tomato instead of slicing through."