knock about

British  

verb

1. (intr, adverb) to wander about aimlessly

2. (intr, preposition) to travel about, esp as resulting in varied or exotic experience

   he's knocked about the world a bit

3. to associate

   to knock about with a gang

4. (tr, adverb) to treat brutally

   he knocks his wife about

5. (tr, adverb) to consider or discuss informally

   to knock an idea about

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noun

1. a sailing vessel, usually sloop-rigged, without a bowsprit and with a single jib

adjective

1. rough; boisterous

   knockabout farce

knock about Idioms  

1. Also, knock around.

2. Be rough or brutal with, maltreat, as in He was known to knock his wife about on a regular basis . [c. 1800]

3. Wander from place to place, as in They were knocking around Europe all summer . [ Colloquial ; c. 1830]

4. Discuss or consider, as in They met to knock about some new ideas . [Mid-1900s] Also see kick around .

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

knock about

The 10% tariff would knock about 0.1% to 0.2% off the affected countries’ gross domestic product, Goldman Sachs’ chief European economist Sven Jari Stehn estimated in a research note.

From Barron's ● Jan. 19, 2026

The ball inside would knock about, shattering the quiet night.

From Washington Post ● Jun. 27, 2018

Nashville GM David Poile said cap situations put five or six teams in position for top-end free agents — and knock about half the league out of the running.

From Washington Times ● Jun. 19, 2018

The additional building, renovating and selling of homes would add about 1.5 million jobs and knock about a percentage point off the unemployment rate, now 6.7 percent.

From New York Times ● Apr. 24, 2014

It really is too bad of old folks, that can’t knock about and enjoy their lives, to pen up young maids like so many sheep.

From The Gold that Glitters The Mistakes of Jenny Lavender by W.O.E. Evans

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