knocker

[nok-er]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR knocker ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a person or thing that knocks.

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

Informal. a persistent and carping critic; faultfinder.

Slang: Vulgar. a female breast.

Idioms

on the knocker, British Slang. canvassing or selling door-to-door.

Origin of knocker

Middle English word dating back to 1350–1400; see origin at knock, -er¹

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for knocker

carper, caviler, censor, nitpicker, quibbler, faultfinder, hypercritic

Examples from the Web for knocker

Historical Examples of knocker

When he tried the knocker, a bobby came along and stopped him.
The Black Bag
Louis Joseph Vance
What souvenir of a great man can compete with the knocker of his door?
The Harmsworth Magazine, v. 1, 1898-1899, No. 2
Various
Surely if any knocker is characteristic of its owner this one is.
The Harmsworth Magazine, v. 1, 1898-1899, No. 2
Various
A knocker of slender grace is the best feature of the hardware.
The Colonial Architecture of Philadelphia
Frank Cousins
At the rat-tat-tat of the knocker her heart flew into her mouth.
To-morrow
Joseph Conrad

British Dictionary definitions for knocker

knocker

noun

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

informal a person who finds fault or disparages

(usually plural) slang a female breast

a person or thing that knocks

on the knocker Australian and NZ informal promptly; at onceyou 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

Word Origin and History for knocker

late 14c., agent noun from knock. Sense of "door banger" is by 1590s. Knockers "a woman's breasts" is slang attested from 1941.