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

McCollum knew how to knock off a national champion because, for much of his coaching life, he’d been a national champion himself.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 23, 2026

If he does, it would knock off another McKenzie milestone, the South African's top score of 226.

From Barron's • Dec. 18, 2025

Servite 11, Orange Lutheran 4: Toby Kwon escaped a bases-loaded jam in the first inning with consecutive strikeouts, and the Friars used that momentum to knock off the Lancers.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 23, 2025

Can I afford to knock off work at three o'clock in the afternoon to pick up the kids from school?

From BBC • Apr. 9, 2025

Soldier York gives the pair of us an approving nod as we knock off for the day.

From "Mockingjay" by Suzanne Collins

Related Words

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