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.
“You remove weight, but you also knock down inflammation,” said Tim Church, chief medical officer at Wondr Health, a company that works with patients with chronic conditions to help them change their behavior.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 8, 2026
The CMEs cause beautiful auroras, and they can also affect life on Earth by causing geomagnetic storms that can knock down power grids and affect weather and communication satellites.
From BBC ● Aug. 14, 2026
It took more than eight hours and dozens of firefighters to knock down.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 1, 2026
Firefighters for several days struggled to knock down a stubborn blaze that started on the roof of the Lineage cold-storage warehouse in Boyle Heights on June 17.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 10, 2026
The skilled orator is out not necessarily to knock down his opponent’s case tout court—but to misrepresent his opponent’s case in such a way as to make it easier to attack.
From "Words Like Loaded Pistols" by Sam Leith
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
