no-knock

American

[noh-nok] / ˈnoʊˌnɒk /

adjective

Law. relating to or denoting a policy that authorizes law-enforcement officers to enter premises unannounced and without identifying themselves.

On the basis of an anonymous tip, the police had obtained a no-knock search warrant for drugs.
antiknock.

Etymology

Origin of no-knock

An Americanism dating back to 1965–70

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.

Body camera footage, released by the city’s police, shows a key being quietly inserted into a lock during a no-knock search warrant operation.

From New York Times • Aug. 10, 2023

The House in 2021 passed the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act, which would ban chokeholds, no-knock warrants and create a police misconduct database.

From Washington Times • May 25, 2023

Officers from the PBI Squad had requested and obtained five search warrants with "no-knock" clauses, including one for Ms. Taylor, acting on what one would later call a "gut feeling."

From Salon • Feb. 28, 2023

And it led Mayor Jacob Frey to sharply restrict no-knock warrants, requiring officers to knock and wait before entering, with limited exceptions.

From Seattle Times • Feb. 3, 2023

Limiting no-knock warrants wouldn’t have mattered in the Memphis case, but it could save others from the fate of Breonna Taylor, who was born the same day as Mr. Nichols: June 5, 1993.

From Washington Post • Feb. 1, 2023

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023