knock back
Britishverb
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informal to drink, esp quickly
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informal to cost
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slang to reject or refuse
you cannot possibly knock back such an offer
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slang to come as an unpleasant surprise to; disconcert
noun
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slang a refusal or rejection
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slang:prison failure to obtain parole
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.
He also appeared to knock back a suggestion floated by the EU's defence commissioner Andrius Kubilius earlier this month for a possible European defence force that could replace US troops on the continent.
From Barron's • Jan. 26, 2026
Former Australia pace bowler Mitchell Johnson labelled them "arrogant", which Stokes was right to knock back.
From BBC • Dec. 25, 2025
But for all the tension in markets around the inflation release, any hope that one month's data will alter the Federal Reserve's tightening course received a knock back.
From Reuters • Nov. 10, 2022
If you’re looking to narrow the field, forgo the dry and compact pork meatballs, which need every lick of tomato sauce to knock back.
From Washington Post • Feb. 18, 2022
When Zu reached over to knock back the hood of the girl’s “Virginia Is for Lovers” sweatshirt, she revealed a long, glossy black braid.
From "The Darkest Minds" by Alexandra Bracken
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.
