knock off

British  

verb

1. informal (intr, also preposition) to finish work

   we knocked off an hour early

2. informal (tr) to make or do hastily or easily

   to knock off a novel in a week

3. informal (tr; also preposition) to reduce the price of (an article) by (a stated amount)

4. slang (tr) to kill

5. slang (tr) to rob or steal

   to knock off a bank

   to knock off a watch

6. slang (tr) to stop doing something, used as a command

   knock it off!

7. slang (tr) to have sexual intercourse with; to seduce

---

noun

1. informal

   1. an illegal imitation of a well-known product

   2. ( as modifier )

      knockoff watches

knock off Idioms  

1. Take a break or rest from, stop, especially quit working. For example, He knocked off work at noon , or Let's knock off at five o'clock . [ Colloquial ; mid-1600s] Also see knock it off .

2. Also, knock out . Dispose of or produce easily or hastily, finish, as in A writer of detective novels, he knocks off a book a year , or We can knock out a rough drawing in a few minutes . The first colloquial usage dates from the early 1800s, the variant from the mid-1800s.

3. Get rid of, reduce, as in She knocked off twelve pounds in a month , or They knocked off one-third of the original price . [ Colloquial ; early 1800s]

4. Kill, murder, as in They decided to knock off the old lady . [ Slang ; early 1900s] Also see knock someone's block off .

5. Copy or imitate, especially without permission, as in They are knocking off designer Swiss watches and selling them for a few dollars . [ Colloquial ; late 1800s]

6. Hold up, rob, as in The gang knocked off two liquor stores in half an hour . [ Slang ; early 1900s] Also see knock the socks off .

---

Example Sentences

Round after round, the Hurricanes have knocked off teams that seemed surer bets to make the championship.

From The Wall Street Journal

Beside Boaz, Daniel tried shifting some of the open books away without knocking off one of the several dirty coffee mugs.

From Literature

Pakistan ticked most boxes on the night, first bottling Sri Lanka up for a modest 128 and then knocking off the target with 20 deliveries to spare, barely breaking sweat.

From Barron's

"I think it's sometimes a little bit harder when the person you're playing has already played a match, and then you're kind of trying to still knock off a bit of the rust," she said.

From Barron's

New England did beat Kansas City’s Patrick Mahomes, and Buffalo star and reigning NFL MVP Josh Allen, knocking off the Bills in Week 5 before blowing a 21-0 lead to them in Week 15.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• dispatch
• dispose of
• eliminate
• snuff out
• whack