stab vs thrust

stab

verb
  • To thrust in a stabbing motion. 

  • To injure secretly or by malicious falsehood or slander. 

  • To pierce or to wound (somebody) with a (usually pointed) tool or weapon, especially a knife or dagger. 

  • To roughen a brick wall with a pick so as to hold plaster. 

  • To cause a sharp, painful sensation (often used with at). 

  • To pierce folded sheets, near their back edges, for the passage of thread or wire. 

  • To recklessly hit with the tip of a (usually pointed) object, such as a weapon or finger (often used with at). 

noun
  • The horizontal or vertical stabilizer of an aircraft. 

  • A wound made by stabbing. 

  • An act of stabbing or thrusting with an object. 

  • Pain inflicted on a person's feelings. 

  • Criticism. 

  • An attempt. 

  • A single staccato chord that adds dramatic impact to a composition. 

  • A bacterial culture made by inoculating a solid medium, such as gelatin, with the puncture of a needle or wire. 

thrust

verb
  • To stab; to pierce; usually with through. 

  • To enter by pushing; to squeeze in. 

  • To push out or extend rapidly or powerfully. 

  • To make advance with force. 

  • To push or drive with force; to shove. 

  • To force something upon someone. 

noun
  • A push, stab, or lunge forward (the act thereof.) 

  • An attack made by moving the sword parallel to its length and landing with the point. 

  • The primary effort; the goal. 

  • The force generated by propulsion, as in a jet engine. 

How often have the words stab and thrust occurred in a corpus of books? (source: Google Ngram Viewer )