knockoff

or knock-off

[ nok-awf, -of ]

/ ˈnɒkˌɔf, -ˌɒf /

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See synonyms for knockoff on Thesaurus.com

noun

an act or instance of knocking off.

an unlicensed copy of something, especially fashion clothing, intended to be sold at a lower price than the original.

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Origin of knockoff

First recorded in 1870–75, for an earlier sense; noun use of verb phrase knock off

Words nearby knockoff

knocking copy, knocking-shop, knock into a cocked hat, knock it off, knock-knee, knockoff, knock-on, knock-on effect, knock oneself out, knock on wood, knockout

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use knockoff in a sentence

There was a sense of shared recognition that scaling something that is new for the market that is really special and new, not not just another knockoff … It’s difficult and there’s going to be a lot of failure and it’s gonna be a lot of frustration.
Beyond Meat CEO Ethan Brown on a Plant-Based Future, Climate Change and Returning to the Office|Eben Shapiro|July 11, 2021|Time
A year of watching theater online had left me feeling as if I had been forever condemned to crave my favorite brand and had to settle for a knockoff.
I wondered what it would be like to be vaccinated and back in a theater. My panic lifted as soon as the lights went down.|Peter Marks|April 7, 2021|Washington Post
The aging, yellow brick residential Portsmouth Hotel sits among knockoff watch dealers here, while a block away, a giant construction crane hoists materials skyward for new luxury apartments.
Are California Oil Companies Complying With the Law? Even Regulators Often Don’t Know.|by Janet Wilson, The Desert Sun|March 22, 2021|ProPublica
Chick-fil-AThe fast food chicken sandwich that launched a thousand knockoffs was an early favorite, “politics aside,” as Aaron said.
Where does the new McDonald’s chicken sandwich rank? Turns out, the Arches fall flat.|Emily Heil|February 25, 2021|Washington Post

The market is saturated with knockoffs, and that particular style doesn’t feel special anymore.
The hottest decorating trends for 2021 aren’t trendy at all — and that’s the point|Elizabeth Mayhew|February 2, 2021|Washington Post
But one former company insider says knockoff screws were mixed in with real ones.
Patients Screwed in Spine Surgery ‘Scam’|The Center for Investigative Reporting|November 3, 2014|DAILY BEAST
And it is nearly impossible to trace each knockoff to each patient or to confirm how many were affected.
Patients Screwed in Spine Surgery ‘Scam’|The Center for Investigative Reporting|November 3, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The money they spent on researching, designing, and marketing their goods is lost to a cheaper knockoff.
Museum of Fakes for a City of Fakes|William O’Connor|June 25, 2014|DAILY BEAST
In both word and deed, pro football serves as a culturally sanctioned knockoff of the military.
Richie Incognito and the NFL's Nasty Warrior Culture|Robert Silverman|February 15, 2014|DAILY BEAST
I blogged earlier about The Knockoff Economy, and today the authors are talking about cookbooks.
Food Friday: Why Do We Buy Cookbooks?|Megan McArdle|October 19, 2012|DAILY BEAST

British Dictionary definitions for knockoff

knock off

verb (mainly adverb)

(intr, also preposition) informal to finish workwe knocked off an hour early

(tr) informal to make or do hastily or easilyto knock off a novel in a week

(tr; also preposition) informal to reduce the price of (an article) by (a stated amount)

(tr) slang to kill

(tr) slang to rob or stealto knock off a bank; to knock off a watch

(tr) slang to stop doing something, used as a commandknock it off!

(tr) slang to have sexual intercourse with; to seduce

noun knockoff

informal

an illegal imitation of a well-known product
(as modifier)knockoff watches

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 Idioms and Phrases with knockoff

knock off

Take a break or rest from, stop, especially quit working. For example, He knocked off work at noon, or Let's knock off at five o'clock. [Colloquial; mid-1600s] Also see knock it off.

Also, knock out. Dispose of or produce easily or hastily, finish, as in A writer of detective novels, he knocks off a book a year, or We can knock out a rough drawing in a few minutes. The first colloquial usage dates from the early 1800s, the variant from the mid-1800s.

Get rid of, reduce, as in She knocked off twelve pounds in a month, or They knocked off one-third of the original price. [Colloquial; early 1800s]

Kill, murder, as in They decided to knock off the old lady. [Slang; early 1900s] Also see knock someone's block off.

Copy or imitate, especially without permission, as in They are knocking off designer Swiss watches and selling them for a few dollars. [Colloquial; late 1800s]

Hold up, rob, as in The gang knocked off two liquor stores in half an hour. [Slang; early 1900s] Also see knock the socks off.