1 always used before a noun a : generally accepted as something specified
▪ He's a known expert. ▪ That's a known fact! ▪ a known criminal
b : included in the knowledge that all people considered as one group have
▪ There is no known cure for the disease. [=there is no cure that anyone knows about, although a cure may exist that has not yet been discovered] ▪ the earliest known use of a word [=the earliest use that anyone knows about] 2 : familiar to people — used with little, widely, etc. ▪ a widely known story [=a story that many people know] ▪ a little-known writer [=a writer that few people know about] — see also well-known
▪ He's a known expert. ▪ That's a known fact! ▪ a known criminal
b : included in the knowledge that all people considered as one group have
▪ There is no known cure for the disease. [=there is no cure that anyone knows about, although a cure may exist that has not yet been discovered] ▪ the earliest known use of a word [=the earliest use that anyone knows about]
known quantity — see quantity





