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Synonyms

knocker

American  
[nok-er] / ˈnɒk ər /

noun

  • knockers
    plural
  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

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms


Etymology

Origin of knocker

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


Vocabulary lists containing knocker

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.

See Examples For:

"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

Marley lives in an Escher-like dwelling with, of course, a very striking knocker, familiar to readers of “A Christmas Carol,” which Clinch renders newly macabre: It hangs “silent as an empty gibbet.”

From New York Times ● Oct. 8, 2019

When guests come calling, they’ll announce their arrival using her original door knocker: a metal kitchen trivet.

From Washington Post ● Apr. 5, 2019

As they approached, Danny could see the knocker was shaped like a gargoyle head.

From "The Way to Rio Luna" by Zoraida Cordova

Elphick said the vandals had removed two door knockers from the statue which were a nod to the 1986 fantasy film Labyrinth which Jones had co-written.

From BBC ● May 20, 2026

They provide the people, the phone banks, the door knockers.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 14, 2026

But the door knockers didn’t explain where to vote or promote a candidate, the usual work of canvassers ahead of a big election.

From Reuters ● Nov. 3, 2022

In two hours on the water, the pairs of polers, who stood steering with 20-foot poles, and knockers, who rained rice into the canoe until it formed a thick, green-brown carpet, gathered about 35 pounds.

From Seattle Times ● Sep. 20, 2022

Some had ornate wooden double doors in front, with elaborate metal knockers.

From "Darius the Great Is Not Okay" by Adib Khorram

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