Stabbing

A detail from The Haywain Triptych by Hieronymus Bosch

A stabbing is penetration or rough contact with a sharp or pointed object at close range. Stab connotes purposeful action, as by an assassin or murderer, but it is also possible to accidentally stab oneself or others. Stabbing differs from slashing or cutting in that the motion of the object used in a stabbing generally moves perpendicular to and directly into the victim's body, rather than being drawn across it.

Stab wounds is the specific form of penetrating trauma to the skin that results from stabbing. Stabbings have been common among gangs and in prisons because knives are cheap, easy to acquire (or manufacture), easily concealable and relatively effective. Stabbing has also been used in terrorism.