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

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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 .

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Example Sentences

The world economy has been knocked off course by Middle East oil turmoil repeatedly over the years.

From The Wall Street Journal

A six-foot-tall, old rotten stump with the bark knocked off, glowing in the dark with a bright green glow.

From Literature

Palisades 62, Eastvale Roosevelt 56: The City Section Open Division champs advanced to the Division II regional semifinal, knocking off the top-seeded defending state champion Mustangs on the road.

From Los Angeles Times

The club from the French capital were knocked off the top of the Ligue 1 table at the weekend after a 3-1 defeat away to Rennes allowed Lens to climb above them.

From Barron's

What if she slipped off her tree or was knocked off?

From Literature

Related Words

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