knockoff
Americannoun
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knockoffs
plural
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an act or instance of knocking off.
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an unlicensed copy of something, especially fashion clothing, intended to be sold at a lower price than the original.
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of knockoff
First recorded in 1870–75, for an earlier sense; noun use of verb phrase knock off
Explanation
A knockoff is a cheaply made copy of something. You can be pretty sure those Air Jordan sneakers are knockoffs if they only cost you ten dollars. Anything fake that looks almost exactly like the authentic version is a knockoff, from knockoff designer handbags to collectible baseball cards to prescription medication. You can also call these imitation goods counterfeits, like a painting that sells for a million dollars only to be revealed as a Monet knockoff. The goal of those who produce knockoffs is almost always to fool shoppers into thinking they're buying the real thing.
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:
He flagged the knockoff merchandise to Sharon, who manages the late heavy-metal star’s estate.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 11, 2026
Sounds like something from a knockoff episode of “Black Mirror,” right?
From Salon ● Jul. 19, 2026
Trevor Henderson drew a faceless monster called Siren Head eight years ago and watched it spawn YouTube films, knockoff Amazon.com merchandise and videogames.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 10, 2026
“Everyone sends me photos of knockoff ‘KPop Demon Hunters’ dolls from across the border,” Jimenez says laughing.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 4, 2026
I come this close to choking on a knockoff Cheerio.
From "On the Come Up" by Angie Thomas
Widely recognised as a global hub for cheap knockoffs of luxury goods, Vietnam is home to some of the biggest fake designer markets in the world.
From BBC ● Jul. 5, 2026
And then, Felix goes deep on one of his favorite topics: why knockoffs aren’t so bad.
From Slate ● Feb. 14, 2026
Many balked, saying at the time they didn’t want their products to sit alongside knockoffs, or toothpaste.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 25, 2025
AI tools such as OpenAI’s recently launched Sora video app, Google’s image-generating Nano Banana and even Apple’s Genmoji on the iPhone allow people to create virtual knockoffs of celebrities—and even non-celebrities.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 12, 2025
Mama wants to keep every single thing: baby clothes, our drawings from kindergarten, our cheap Barbie doll knockoffs.
From "Pride" by Ibi Zoboi
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.
