knock about

British  

verb

1. (intr, adverb) to wander about aimlessly

2. (intr, preposition) to travel about, esp as resulting in varied or exotic experience

   he's knocked about the world a bit

3. to associate

   to knock about with a gang

4. (tr, adverb) to treat brutally

   he knocks his wife about

5. (tr, adverb) to consider or discuss informally

   to knock an idea about

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noun

1. a sailing vessel, usually sloop-rigged, without a bowsprit and with a single jib

adjective

1. rough; boisterous

   knockabout farce

knock about Idioms  

1. Also, knock around.

2. Be rough or brutal with, maltreat, as in He was known to knock his wife about on a regular basis . [c. 1800]

3. Wander from place to place, as in They were knocking around Europe all summer . [ Colloquial ; c. 1830]

4. Discuss or consider, as in They met to knock about some new ideas . [Mid-1900s] Also see kick around .

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Example Sentences

The 10% tariff would knock about 0.1% to 0.2% off the affected countries’ gross domestic product, Goldman Sachs’ chief European economist Sven Jari Stehn estimated in a research note.

From Barron's • Jan. 19, 2026

As a result, her children knock about in similar versions of dishonesty and distress, which can lead to reader fatigue.

From New York Times • Feb. 21, 2020

The ball inside would knock about, shattering the quiet night.

From Washington Post • Jun. 27, 2018

Nashville GM David Poile said cap situations put five or six teams in position for top-end free agents — and knock about half the league out of the running.

From Washington Times • Jun. 19, 2018

Going About the Country With Your Eyes Open "A delightfully varied volume dealing with topics full of interest and also of instruction to these who knock about the country."

From The Nameless Island A Story of some Modern Robinson Crusoes by Westerman, Percy F. (Percy Francis)