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
The agency’s experts are confident scaling the pilot up now to knock back the barred owl invasion can give the northern spotted owl a chance at recovery.
From Seattle Times ● Dec. 6, 2023
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
Now it had redundant solar panels, whose frequent bursts of coordinated electricity were strong enough to knock back an elephant.
From "Endangered" by Eliot Schrefer
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.
