knock down
Britishverb
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to strike to the ground with a blow, as in boxing
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(in auctions) to declare (an article) sold, as by striking a blow with a gavel
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to demolish
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to dismantle, for ease of transport
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informal to reduce (a price, etc)
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slang to spend (a cheque)
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slang to drink
adjective
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overwhelming; powerful
a knockdown blow
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cheap
I got the table at a knockdown price
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easily dismantled
knockdown furniture
noun
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Take apart for storage or shipping, as in We need to knock down this chest to ship it safely overseas . [Mid-1900s]
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Declare sold at an auction, as by striking a blow with a gavel. For example, That was the last bid, and the first edition was knocked down for only three hundred . [Mid-1700s]
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Reduce the price of, as in They knocked it down by another hundred dollars , or An overabundant harvest will knock down corn prices . [ Colloquial ; mid-1800].
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Earn as wages, as in She knocks down a hundred grand a year . [ Slang ; 1920s]
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Steal, embezzle, as in He was caught knocking down the box-office receipts . This usage may be obsolescent. [ Slang ; mid-1800s] Also see knock over , def. 2.
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.
Investors have cheered the extra supply from Saudi Arabia, but are under no illusions that it’s enough to knock down crude-oil futures prices, which were looking at gains of 46% for the week.
From MarketWatch • Mar. 20, 2026
Trump has denied that he plans to knock down the center, and earlier Friday he posted two renderings on social media of what it would look like when it was refurbished.
From Barron's • Mar. 13, 2026
On one hand, AI assistants knock down barriers to entry.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 5, 2026
In slalom, racers typically knock down gates with their arms or shins, which are protected by plastic shin guards.
From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 15, 2026
She hadn't gone hungry much since she learned to knock down birds with her stick sword, but she feared so much pigeon was making her sick.
From "A Game of Thrones" by George R.R. Martin
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.
