knock
Americanverb (used without object)
-
to strike a sounding blow with the fist, knuckles, or anything hard, especially on a door, window, or the like, as in seeking admittance, calling attention, or giving a signal.
to knock on the door before entering.
-
to strike in collision; bump.
He knocked into a table.
-
to make a pounding noise.
The engine of our car is knocking badly.
-
Informal. to engage in trivial or carping criticism; find fault.
-
Cards. to end a game, as in gin rummy, by laying down a hand in which those cards not included in sets total less than a specific amount.
verb (used with object)
-
to give a sounding or forcible blow to; hit; strike; beat.
-
to drive, force, or render by a blow or blows.
to knock a man senseless.
-
to make by striking a blow or blows.
to knock a hole in the wall.
-
to strike (a thing) against something else.
-
Informal. to criticize, especially in a carping manner.
He's always knocking everything.
-
British Slang. to astound; impress greatly.
noun
-
an act or instance of knocking.
-
the sound of knocking, especially a rap, as at a door.
-
a blow or thump.
-
Informal. an adverse criticism.
-
the noise resulting from faulty combustion or from incorrect functioning of some part of an internal-combustion engine.
-
Cricket. an innings.
-
British Slang.
-
one of a combination of dealers who bid together, rather than against each other, at an auction, and later resell the purchases among themselves.
-
an auction at which this is done.
-
the sale of merchandise recently obtained by a dealer at an auction.
-
verb phrase
-
knock up
-
Slang. to make pregnant.
-
to exhaust; weary; tire.
-
to damage; mar.
The children knocked up the new table.
-
to injure; wound.
He was afraid to come home from school all knocked up again.
-
British. to wake up; rouse; call.
He knocked us up before dawn.
-
-
knock together to make or construct in a hurry or with little attention to detail.
He knocked together a couple of tables.
-
knock around / about
-
to wander aimlessly or idly; loaf.
-
to mistreat (someone), especially physically.
-
to jar; shake up.
-
-
knock off
-
Informal. to cease activity, especially work.
to knock off at five every day.
-
to stop doing something; quit.
Knock it off or you'll get into a mess.
-
Slang. to dispose of; finish.
-
Slang. to murder; kill.
-
Slang. to die.
-
Slang. to get rid of; reduce.
-
Slang. to disable or defeat.
-
Slang. to commit a robbery at; steal from.
The gang knocked off a gas station.
-
Nautical Slang. to blow the head (of a sailing vessel) off the wind.
-
to imitate, copy, or plagiarize.
to knock off designer dresses in cheap materials.
-
-
knock back to drink (a beverage), especially quickly and heartily.
He knocked back two shots of vodka.
-
knock out
-
to defeat (an opponent) in a boxing match by striking such a blow that the opponent is unable to rise within the specified time.
-
to render (a person) unconscious.
Those sleeping pills knocked me out for ten hours.
-
to make tired or exhausted.
Christmas shopping always knocks me out.
-
Informal. to produce quickly, hurriedly, or with ease.
He knocks out two poems a day.
-
to damage or destroy.
The explosion knocked out the power for several hours.
-
-
knock over
-
to strike (someone or something) from an erect to a prone position.
to knock over a lamp.
-
to distress; overcome.
When the announcement came we were completely knocked over.
-
Slang. to rob, burglarize, or hijack.
He knocked over five banks.
-
-
knock down
-
to sell at auction by a blow of the hammer or to a bidder.
-
to take apart or disassemble, as for facility in handling, storing, shipping, etc.
-
Slang. to receive, as a salary or a scholastic grade; earn.
He knocks down 30 grand a year.
-
Informal. to lower the price of; reduce.
to knock down end-of-season leftovers.
-
Slang. to embezzle or steal (money).
-
to cause (a sailing vessel) to heel, as by a gust of wind, to such a degree that it cannot right itself.
-
idioms
-
knock out of the box, to cause a pitcher to be removed from the box because the pitcher has permitted too many hits to be made. Also knock out.
-
knock the / one's socks off, to have an overwhelming effect on.
The song knocked the socks off the audience.
-
have it knocked, to be assured of success.
With a government job, he thought he had it knocked.
verb
-
(tr) to give a blow or push to; strike
-
(intr) to rap sharply with the knuckles, a hard object, etc, esp to capture attention
to knock at the door
-
(tr) to make or force by striking
to knock a hole in the wall
-
to collide (with)
-
(tr) to bring into a certain condition by hitting or pushing
to knock someone unconscious
-
informal (tr) to criticize adversely; belittle
to knock someone's work
-
Also: pink. (intr) (of an internal-combustion engine) to emit a characteristic metallic noise as a result of faulty combustion
-
(intr) (of a bearing, esp one in an engine) to emit a regular characteristic sound as a result of wear
-
slang to have sexual intercourse with (a person)
-
informal to hit a person with a very heavy blow
-
to have a violent or unpleasant encounter with (adverse facts or circumstances)
-
-
to daze or kill (a person) by striking on the head
-
effectively to prevent the further development of (a plan)
-
noun
-
-
a blow, push, or rap
he gave the table a knock
-
the sound so caused
-
-
the sound of knocking in an engine or bearing
-
informal a misfortune, rebuff, or setback
-
informal unfavourable criticism
-
informal (in cricket) an innings or a spell of batting
Usage
What is a basic definition of knock? Knock is a verb that means to hit something by bumping into it. Knock also means to repeatedly strike something to make a noise. Knock is used as a noun to mean a sound made by repeated tapping. Knock has many other senses as a verb and a noun. It is also used in several idioms.Knock means to strike something by bumping into it or colliding with it. This sense of knock is often followed by what was bumped into (knocked onto the floor).
- Real-life examples: In bowling, the goal is to knock down all of the pins with a bowling ball. In boxing, the competitors repeatedly knock each other in the head and body with their fists. It is difficult to build a house of cards without accidentally knocking it over.
- Used in a sentence: Shawna wasn’t paying attention and accidentally knocked over a stack of boxes.
- Used in a sentence: He knocked on the wall with his umbrella to get everyone’s attention.
- Used in a sentence: I think you have a visitor because I heard a knock at the door.
Related Words
See strike.
Other Word Forms
- knockless adjective
- reknock verb
- unknocked adjective
- unknocking adjective
Etymology
Origin of knock
First recorded before 1000; 1890–95 knock for def. 4; Middle English knokken, knoken (verb), Old English cnocian, cnucian; cognate with Old Norse knoka “to thump, knock”
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
My mother’s voice knocked me out of my wishful thinking.
From Salon
But Young’s play has improved lately, and he just completed 15-of-20 passes with three touchdowns to knock off the Los Angeles Rams, one of the league’s top teams.
“After having knocked thousands of doors across the state, talking about really combative issues, it’s clear that people have a plurality of opinions and thoughts,” Behn said.
From Salon
The dealer knocked some $5,000 off the initial asking price.
"But they can also make all the electronics on a satellite malfunction, knock down power grids and affect weather and communication satellites."
From BBC
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
