Knight

v.capable, joyfulformal

What it means

To grant someone the rank and honor of knighthood.

Reach for it when describing the formal act in a monarchy, not using honor as a loose synonym

The sovereign will knight the scientist for distinguished public service.

everyday
honor
recognition matters more than the specific rank
not when Honor covers awards of every kind and omits the royal act.
warm
acclaim
public praise and admiration are the result
not when Acclaim is informal recognition rather than a sovereign act.
professional
decorate
an official medal or award recognizes service
not when Decorate can mean ornament and grants no rank.
formal
ennoble
someone is formally raised to noble rank
not when Ennoblement may grant another title through a different ceremony.
formal
invest
a formal ceremony confers office or membership
not when Invest requires the title or order to be named and is not specific to knighthood.
literary
dub
the ceremonial naming as a knight is the precise historical action
not when Dub now commonly means nickname or label and can confuse readers.

knight the recipient
The king will knight the recipient during the summer ceremony.
decision to knight
The decision to knight the physician recognized decades of public work.
formally knight
The sovereign formally knighted the composer at the palace.

The verb refers to a specific institution of monarchy. It should not be presented as a universal measure of merit.

The definition and the example on this page are written here. The dictionaries above ground which meaning is being described, not the wording.