knockoff
or knock-off
[nok-awf, -of]
- 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.
Show More
Origin of knockoff
First recorded in 1870–75, for an earlier sense; noun use of verb phrase knock off
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for knockoff
Contemporary Examples
But one former company insider says knockoff screws were mixed in with real ones.
I blogged earlier about The Knockoff Economy, and today the authors are talking about cookbooks.
Reprinted from THE KNOCKOFF ECONOMY: How Imitation Sparks Innovation with permission from Oxford University Press, Inc.
In ‘The Knockoff Economy,’ The Upside to Ripping Off Others’ IdeasKal Raustiala, Christopher Sprigman
September 8, 2012
These industries show us the ways in which innovation can continue to thrive in a knockoff world.
In ‘The Knockoff Economy,’ The Upside to Ripping Off Others’ IdeasKal Raustiala, Christopher Sprigman
September 8, 2012
Word Origin and History for knockoff
n.
"cheap imitation," 1966, from the verbal phrase knock off "do hastily;" in reference to the casual way the things are made.
Show More
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper