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.
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
Los Angeles Fire Department officials alerted that the forward progress on the fire had been stopped, but crews were still working to knock down the flames.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 16, 2026
An agreement could knock down oil prices and ease the upward pressure on costs for transport, manufacturing, food and consumer fuels across the world.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 24, 2026
The federal income-tax code can also offer a silver lining for people who can’t knock down their property-tax bill.
From MarketWatch ● May 1, 2026
Howard had obtained special permission to knock down the wall between it and the next stall so that Pumpkin could take up his customary sidekick position.
From "Seabiscuit: An American Legend" by Laura Hillenbrand
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
