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Synonyms

knocker

American  
[nok-er] / ˈnɒk ər /

noun

  1. a person or thing that knocks.

  2. a hinged knob, bar, etc., on a door, for use in knocking.

  3. Informal. a persistent and carping critic; faultfinder.

  4. Slang: Vulgar. a female breast.

idioms

  1. on the knocker, canvassing or selling door-to-door.

knocker British  
/ ˈnɒkə /

noun

  1. an object, usually ornamental and made of metal, attached to a door by a hinge and used for knocking

  2. informal a person who finds fault or disparages

  3. slang (usually plural) a female breast

  4. a person or thing that knocks

  5. informal promptly; at once

    you pay on the knocker here
"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of knocker

Middle English word dating back to 1350–1400; knock, -er 1

Vocabulary lists containing knocker

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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 site of the charred doors, with grilled peep hole and ancient heavy knocker, stirred no emotion in her.

From New York Times • Mar. 31, 2023

"Stay close to Troy or they gonna think you're a knocker."

From Salon • Aug. 21, 2021

“I’m a short knocker, but that Roberts hit the ball a mile. They knew they had the tournament in the bag, so they played like a couple of hackers on the 18th.”

From Golf Digest • Apr. 21, 2020

From there, I was ushered into a small antechamber with a large door and a foreboding, old-school knocker.

From The Verge • Dec. 5, 2018

“Nicely phrased,” replied the eagle door knocker, and the door swung open.

From "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" by J.K. Rowling

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.