knock down

verb

1. to strike to the ground with a blow, as in boxing

2. (in auctions) to declare (an article) sold, as by striking a blow with a gavel

3. to demolish

4. to dismantle, for ease of transport

5. informal,  to reduce (a price, etc)

6. slang,  to spend (a cheque)

7. slang,  to drink

adjective

1. overwhelming; powerful

   a knockdown blow

2. cheap

   I got the table at a knockdown price

3. easily dismantled

   knockdown furniture

noun

1. slang,  an introduction

   will you give me a knockdown to her?

Idioms and Phrases

Take apart for storage or shipping, as in We need to knock down this chest to ship it safely overseas . [Mid-1900s]

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]

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].

Earn as wages, as in She knocks down a hundred grand a year . [ Slang ; 1920s]

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

Protesters knocked down barriers and occupied the road at several points on the course including Gran Via, where cyclists were due to pass multiple times.

From BBC

Tram bowling, in which a giant ball is used to knock down inflatable pins, was another fan favourite.

From BBC

Mr Ferns thought Park had "made the phone call" that brought the car into the street and knocked down his brother.

From BBC

Page knocked down Cannonier in the first and second round in a typically entertaining display, combining speed, footwork and distance management with showboating.

From BBC

“You can’t knock down all of California and start new, but you can mitigate portfolio damages by making new parts of the portfolio better.”

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• annihilate 
• bulldoze 
• crush 
• decimate 
• devastate 
• dilapidate 
• dismantle 
• flatten 
• obliterate 
• overturn 
• pulverize 
• raze 
• ruin 
• smash 
• trash 
• wreck