A combat knife is a fighting knife designed solely for military use and primarily intended for hand-to-hand or close combat fighting.[1][2][3]

Since the end of trench warfare, most military combat knives have been secondarily designed for utility use (clearing foliage, chopping branches for cover, opening ammunition crates, etc.) in addition to their original role as close-quarter combat weapons, and may be referred to as fighting-utility knives.[4][5] On the other hand, military knives that are intended primarily for use in a role other than combat are typically referred to by their primary role, such as utility knife or survival knife.