Definition of knock in English:

knock

verb nɒknɒknɑk

1no object Striket a surface noisily to attract attention, especially when waiting to be let in through a door.
he strolled over and knocked on a door marked Enquiries
Example sentencesExamples
- Her thoughts were interrupted when she heard Steve softly knock at the door before he came in.
- I sort of blinked, decided I was dreaming again - I often dream there's someone ringing or knocking at the door - and drifted back to sleep.
- The Slovenian driver was asleep in his cab when he was woken by a man knocking on the window.
- After a moment, he knocked louder, trying to compete with the noise.
- Tash was ready and waiting when David knocked at her door and ushered her into a waiting taxi.
- He knocks loudly at the door, and it swings open with a ponderous creak.
- Elena knocked, straightening her suit coat, smoothing her hair.
- He knocked gently on the door, drawing the attention of every person in the room.
- ‘Next time knock before you come in’ I muttered, my face still beet red as I dried the plates.
- When they approached and knocked on the bathroom door, they heard scuffling and the toilet flushing.
- Amy and I waited until I got sick and tired of waiting, and knocked lightly on the window.
- Competitors from the Asian neighborhood are already knocking at Korea's door.
- Cameron knocked twice, and the unfamiliar face of Jason Phillips appeared behind a large oak door.
- I had just flatly refused to talk to anybody for a few days but Beverly came knocking at my door.
- He knocked lightly at the door but there was no answer.
- He first learned that a newspaper was on to him when his former mistress interrupted a dinner with a colleague to tell him the News Of The World had been knocking at her door.
- A drunk guy had spilled his drink on me and I wanted to wash my shirt so I barged in without knocking.
- Motorists who somehow believe fines will go away if they are ignored will regret their action when bailiffs come knocking at the door.
- There was no noise from inside, so she knocked loudly.
- She went to Mark's apartment and knocked on the door.
- Jim hung his coat on a peg in the waiting area and walked over to the door, knocking quietly as he opened it.
Synonyms
bang, tap, rap, thump, pound, hammer
strike, hit, beat, batter, buffet, pummel
1. 1.1 Strike or thump together or against something.
  her heart knocked painfully behind her ribs
  Example sentencesExamples
  Vibrations shot up her arm from the shock of the two steel blades knocking together.
  My knees were actually knocking when I left your studio after telling that story.
  Only his fast thinking kept their heads from knocking together.
  She tried to stand but decided her knees would knock together, so she sat back down.
  Before he could strike, however, the man collided with him from the side, their foreheads knocking together with a loud crack.
  With the right body language, no one will even know your knees are knocking.
  Her body wouldn't stop trembling, her knees knocked together.
  Not a leaf stirred; we could only hear our hearts beat wildly, knocking against our ribs like a trapped bird.
  When I first met Madonna I was star-struck and my knees were knocking together because I was so nervous.
  His teeth were rattling in head, his legs had turned to jelly and his knees were knocking together like castanets.
  Her legs were numb and her knees knocked together as she stumbled on the uneven ground.
  My heart was knocking against my ribs so hard I could hardly breathe, much less speak.
  When these cattle move side by side in the herd, their hollow horns knock together, producing a characteristic resonant sound.
  Gavin reached down to it the same time she did and their heads knocked together.
  My heart was knocking against my chest.
  The pots and pans that dangled from her pack made a clanging noise, as they knocked together.
  In fact, she could almost feel her knees knocking together.
  Heart still knocking against her ribs, she strode anxiously to the front door, rising up slightly on her feet to peer through the hole.
2. 1.2 (of a motor or other engine) make a regular thumping or rattling noise, e.g. through pinking.
  Example sentencesExamples
  This premature ignition (called knocking or pinging) lowers the power output and can damage the engine.
  While driving your car, you can also listen to the engine: if you hear knocking, it's a good sign that you have trouble.
  The only time you should consider using a higher-octane gas is if your engine starts to knock or ping.
2with object Collide with (someone or something), giving them a hard blow.
he deliberately ran against her, knocking her shoulder
no object he knocked into an elderly man with a walking stick
Example sentencesExamples
- As she stepped forward a couple of younger boys came pounding down the sidewalk and both knocked into her, sending her falling backwards towards the street.
- The window suddenly swung open inside, the frame knocking him hard on the chin and sending him sprawling on his back.
- Most of that evening was pretty much a blur, except I do remember when Adam knocked my elbow by mistake and made me spill a drink all over myself.
- About five of the guys sneered at me while the others ‘accidentally’ knocked into my side.
- You might accidentally knock heads with your partner.
Synonyms
collide with, bump into, bang into, knock against, hit, strike, be in collision with, run into, crash into, smash into, plough into, slam into, dash against, ram, jolt
North American impact
informal bash into
1. 2.1with object and adverbial of direction Force to move or fall with a deliberate or accidental blow or collision.
  he'd knocked over a glass of water
  Example sentencesExamples
  There are fears the 92-year-old building could be knocked down to make way for a housing scheme.
  On the east coast, television pictures showed bricks and tiles had been knocked from some buildings, but there were no indications of serious damage.
  He was hit from behind and knocked to the ground.
  She took a step forward and was nearly knocked over by a large man rushing past her.
  Neighbours were beaten back by flames after knocking down the front door.
  A new youth shelter being built in Hutton recreation area has been knocked down by vandals even before it is completed.
  A cyclist was knocked off his bike on Brook Hill a couple of weeks ago.
  Two lamps had been knocked over and broken glass covered the floor.
  He gasped as the wind was knocked out of his lungs.
  Suddenly the boat shifted and moved, throwing her to her knees and almost knocking Wes into the water.
  I stood up quickly, knocking my chair over in the process.
  An elderly man is critically ill in hospital after being knocked down when a teenager ran across a road and jumped into the middle of a bus queue.
  The storm knocked down trees and power lines in the area.
  A woman was left lying injured after being knocked down by a child riding an off-road motorbike on the pavement.
  He was knocked unconscious and robbed in a vicious attack near Trowbridge Park.
  As she was reaching across the table, she accidentally knocked over her glass of Coke.
  I squeaked in surprise, flinging my hand sideways and knocking half a dozen books off the shelf.
  Just as I approached the door, a whirlwind in the form of a small child shot out of the room, colliding with me and knocking me into the wall.
  The court heard Mr Smedley was knocked to the floor before his attackers kicked him twice in the stomach.
  Suddenly something struck him hard, knocking him to one side.
2. 2.2 Injure or damage by striking.
  she knocked her knee painfully on the table
  figurative you have had a setback that has knocked your self-esteem
  Example sentencesExamples
  I charged at him, but the boy knocked me hard in the ribs, throwing me back.
  Do comments like that spur you on to drive harder or do they knock your confidence?
  He knocked my forehead hard, which gave a great deal of pain.
  Ruth fell and knocked her head quite hard on the table.
  I stumbled to my feet, knocking my knee against a corner of the table.
  Being the only single person in your group can be isolating. You start to wonder why you haven't got a partner and this can knock your self-esteem.
  I sat up quickly and promptly knocked my head on the overhang.
  Tom jolted out of his dream, wincing as he knocked his elbow against the bedpost.
  Synonyms
  bump, bang, hit, strike, crack
  injure, hurt, damage, bruise
  informal bash, thwack
3. 2.3 Make (a hole or a dent) in something by striking it forcefully.
  you'll need to knock a hole in the wall
  Example sentencesExamples
  This is particularly clever for old buildings where knocking new holes through walls can be tricky.
  One rock knocked a four feet hole in a nearby wall and Mr Ayrton said some stones had been found three quarters of a mile away.
  Thieves knocked a hole in the shop wall before making off with equipment valued at about £11,000.
  In one case installation of the computer was delayed a day, and when the team arrived the next morning they found that a hole had been knocked through one of the walls already.
  Just down the walk, I found a hole knocked in a garden wall and a hundred bricks missing.
  That's right: if your landlord complains that you're knocking holes in the walls, he or she is too strict.
  Ms Waterman says asbestos entered their flat through a hole which builders knocked in their wall.
  Sure, it's exhilarating to read a new and undiscovered book that knocks my socks off… I think… I'm not sure it's really happened.
  Columbia broke into pieces during its return trip from space in 2003 because Nasa failed to spot that a hole had been knocked in its wing during launch.
  Anywhere in the area of Amalfi or Ravello, 10 minutes in a taxi will knock a £20 hole in your pocket.
4. 2.4 Demolish the barriers between (rooms or buildings)
  two of the downstairs rooms had been knocked into one
  Example sentencesExamples
  It's a bit of a Tardis - two townhouses knocked together, with a long gallery at the back where the garden used to be.
  It consists of the former Egyptian embassy and a one-time annexe to Russia's embassy knocked together.
  To the right are two further rooms which could be knocked into one.
  Lord Rogers does live in London - he has two Georgian terrace houses knocked together in Chelsea.
  The café looks as if it had been two rooms knocked into one.
  Georgieva gestures around her office, which consists of two rooms knocked into one.
  It seemed a small house from the outside, but on entering they could see that it actually consisted of several houses knocked together around a small courtyard.
  Three Georgian townhouses were knocked together in the 1970s when Edinburgh's planning regulations were looser.
  The new facility, on Rectory Road, replaces the previous cramped and out-of-date building made up of four residential houses knocked together.
  She and her husband Derek live with their four children in Wapping, east London, in two former council flats knocked into one.
3informal with object Talk disparagingly about; criticize.
Example sentencesExamples
- I'm not knocking the company, but it's going to be too small for institutional investors.
- Critics knock the X3 for its austere interior, but most BMWs tend toward the spartan.
- It's hard to knock this decision in political terms, and it has a defensible legal rationale.
- It is hard to knock a man with such charisma and unswerving comic timing, but anyone having had the pleasure of seeing him on stage before would have been disappointed at the lack of new material.
- So stop knocking the town you live in and be proud of what we have and what has been achieved here.
- We had a fair amount of possession and worked hard, I can't knock the commitment.
- He was raised to think he's the greatest by his parents, who wanted to instill a strong sense of self in him, so it's hard to knock him for his attitude.
- That's because whenever they do, they never offer any praise, they will just jump straight in and start knocking what I've done.
Synonyms
criticize, find fault with, run down, disparage, belittle, depreciate, deprecate, detract from, give a bad press to, cast aspersions on, scoff at, deride, jeer at, carp at, cavil at
lambaste, censure, condemn, denounce, revile, attack
informal slam, pan, bash, pull to pieces, pull apart, pick holes in, maul, savage, flay, throw brickbats at, shoot down, give something a battering, talk something down, have a go at, bad-mouth
British informal slate, rubbish, slag off
North American informal trash, pummel
Australian/New Zealand informal bag
4informal with object Approach (a specified age)
he's younger than his brother—knocking seventy
Example sentencesExamples
- Overall, I'm not bad for a man knocking 60.
- He sounded a little disappointed to hear that they were all knocking thirty.

noun nɒknɒknɑk

1A sudden short sound caused by a blow, especially on a door to attract attention or gain entry.
Example sentencesExamples
- A sharp knock sounded at the door, interrupting their conversation.
- He nearly jumped out of his skin when the knock sounded at the door.
- The sound of a knock at the door woke him from his reverie, and he walked quickly downstairs.
- He heard another knock and the soft sound of a doorknob being turned.
- All of a sudden there was a knock at the front door.
- About two minutes later, there was a short knock at the cabin door.
- As Willow was about to speak, a loud knock sounded on the door.
- He smiled and leaned down to kiss her, frowning as a sudden knock sounded on the door.
- There was another knock, this time louder, then the sound of the door opening.
- There was a loud, hard knock at the door.
- She was walking towards her bedroom when a knock sounded on the door.
- It was already very late into the night and Rosalind was beginning to doze off in her chair by the window when a sudden knock at the door startled her out of sleep.
- She must have dozed off, because the sound of a knock at the door made her nearly jump a foot in the air.
- I jumped as a sharp knock sounded at my door.
- There was no reply, just another knock, louder than the first.
- He opened his mouth to speak but was interrupted by a sudden knock at the door.
- She was gazing into the mirror, not really paying attention to the task at hand when a knock sounded at the door.
- There was a sudden knock at the door, the noise seemingly unnatural and loud in the silence that I had gotten accustomed to in the past half-hour.
- At half-past six on the dot, a knock sounded on the door.
- Justin heard loud knocks coming from the front door.
Synonyms
tap, rap, rat-tat, rat-tat-tat, knocking, bang, banging, beating, pounding, hammering, drumming, thump, thud
1. 1.1mass noun A continual thumping or rattling sound made by an engine.
  Example sentencesExamples
  Petrol fuels contain a host of additives to enhance octane rating, lower engine knock and counteract water.
  In the 1920s, lead was added to petrol, and this addition allowed vehicles to reach higher speeds without engine knock.
  When added to gasoline in minute amounts, tetraethyl lead prevents engine knock and increases the gasoline's octane rating.
  Lucas oil Octane Booster eliminates spark knocks, pinging, and dieseling while promoting clean fuel burn for fewer emissions and better mileage.
  This is used to determine when to adjust ignition timing to control knock. - CAS
  Synonyms
  tap, rap, rat-tat, rat-tat-tat, knocking, bang, banging, beating, pounding, hammering, drumming, thump, thud
2A blow or collision.
the casing is tough enough to withstand knocks
Example sentencesExamples
- Gashes and knocks that would put a professional footballer out of action for weeks tend to be shrugged off.
- This time his injury was as a result of an accidental knock to his head as he was laying on a tackle.
- Jonathan Smith is expected to undergo a fitness test after sustaining a knock to his knee on Sunday.
- He bent over a little and rubbed his head, it was already throbbing from before so another knock didn't make him feel any better.
- Head guards and helmets protect the skull and the brain from injuries caused by knocks to the head during sports and greatly reduce the risk of serious head injuries.
- While the shell does protect the phone's internal components from everyday knocks and bumps, it is not waterproof, merely water resistant.
- Since one wall was completely knocked down two weeks ago, two more knocks have left the other cracked and weakened.
- At no stage during the match could he recall having sustained a knock to his head.
- As the blood supply for the scalp is so good, any knock received tends to bleed profusely resulting in blood everywhere and bruising as a result.
- He suffered a bad knock on the head in the second half.
- Chelsea could be without William Gallas, who suffered a knock against Villa.
- The Rams' only other injury worry is over Chris Clarke, who took a knock to a leg during the game at Flixton.
- The bumps, jarring and knocks can damage the helmet.
- One swift knock to the head knocked the guy out, and we left.
- A player just took a hard knock to the head and is lying on the field.
- At present, an estimated three million people in the UK suffer from the condition, which weakens the skeleton so that a simple knock can snap a bone.
- Bumps and knocks to the head are quite common, particularly among children.
- No matter how well you drive, with such tight racing and constant jostling for places it is inevitable that you will incur a few bumps and knocks along the way.
- The front wings are plastic and can withstand 15 km/h knocks without damage which reduces repairs.
- Of course with football being a very physical game there were always plenty of knocks to be taken, some leading to injuries and lay-offs.
Synonyms
bump, blow, bang, striking, beating, jolt, jar, jarring, shock
collision, crash, smash, impact
blow, bang, stroke, hit, slap, smack, crack, buffet, punch, cuff, thump, box
informal clip, clout, wallop, thwack, belt, bash
1. 2.1 A discouraging experience; a setback.
  the region's industries have taken a severe knock
  Example sentencesExamples
  But this appeal has suffered two huge knocks of late.
  From Australia's point of view, having got so close and then losing was a big knock.
  Scotland has become a harsher place and our image as a tolerant and open minded nation has taken a severe knock.
  He seems like the kind of guy who has lived life and taken a few hard knocks along the way.
  In a nutshell, I hadn't suffered the same hard knocks and had little chance of knowing what was really important in life.
  In the past couple of years, profits at many companies have taken a severe knock.
  We're big enough to take the knocks when they're due, but is it so unthinkable sometimes to recognise and celebrate success?
  Steeton saw their chance of promotion from Division One take a severe knock when they were beaten 2-1 at Ardsley Celtic.
  After the knock suffered by the industry last year because of the Foot and Mouth crisis, tourism operators were hoping for rather better luck this year.
  The party has taken greater knocks in its history than this minor set-back.
  As the weeks passed, it became ever harder to make ends meet and a £140 servicing for Vivienne's car was a severe knock.
  I've suffered a lot of knocks over the years, but I've survived them.
  There are enough hard knocks and challenges in life without us deliberately providing them for each other.
  Hovingham's chances of lifting the divisional trophy took a knock when they suffered a shock defeat at Clifton Alliance.
  Synonyms
  setback, reversal, reverse of fortune, rebuff, rejection, defeat, failure, difficulty, misfortune, bad luck, stroke of bad luck, mishap, bad experience, blow, body blow, disaster, calamity, disappointment, grief, sorrow, trouble, hardship
  informal kick in the teeth, one in the eye, whammy
2. 2.2informal A critical comment.
  Example sentencesExamples
  In recent seasons, the FA Cup has taken a few knocks from the critics, but in my eyes there is still a lot of magic associated with the competition.
  This is no knock against Lucas, who does a fine job in his short scenes, but it is a structural problem that the film does not entirely solve.
  If they want to get ahead, Ms McIntosh says, women have to be prepared to develop thick skins, and the confidence to take the knocks and criticism that go with a high-powered job.
  The only knock is he lacks experience against elite-level competition.
  Synonyms
  criticism, disparagement, stricture, fault-finding, denigration, censure, reproach, reproval, condemnation, lambasting
  informal slamming, panning, slagging off, rubbishing, slating, flak, brickbats
3Cricket
informal An innings, especially of an individual batsman.
a splendid knock of 117 against Somerset
Example sentencesExamples
- Cook struck 12 fours in his 343-ball knock lasting over six hours.
- Ian Winterbottom held the innings together with a knock of 51.
- Jeff Whitmore assisted with a captain's knock of 42 before being caught of a big Brad Tanner delivery.
- He struck 12 fours in his 259-ball knock.
- A feature of the NatWest Series was how well Australia adjusted a couple of times to difficult surfaces, with Mike Hussey in particular playing some splendid knocks under pressure.

Phrases

knock someone's block off

informal Hit someone very hard.
Example sentencesExamples
- He told Bellamy he would knock his block off if he ever set foot back in Newcastle.
- I get home from school a few days later and my mother is looking like she wants to knock my block off.
- The first time we met I thought he was going to knock my block off because I'd called him Bart instead of Bartholomew.
- The young man turned to look at me, and for a second there, I thought he was going to knock my block off.
- In fact, I scared one of them half to death when I walked through the door; she tried to knock my block off with a mop as she thought I was an intruder!
- If I were that age - I'd knock his block off if I were his ‘so-called’ teammate.
- I'd like to see it myself, except that someone would probably recognize me and try to knock my block off.
Synonyms
strike, slap, smack, cuff, punch, beat, thrash, thump, batter, belabour, drub, hook, pound, smash, slam, welt, pummel, hammer, bang, knock, swat, whip, flog, cane, sucker-punch, rain blows on, give someone a beating, give someone a drubbing, give someone a good beating, give someone a good drubbing, box someone's ears

knock someone dead

informal Greatly impress someone.
Example sentencesExamples
- I nodded and smiled faintly, ‘You're going to knock him dead tonight.’
- This album is trying too hard to be smooth and pleasing to the masses, meaning that Wright ends up crooning uninterestingly where she should be knocking us dead.
- Mandy Siegfried proves herself a young comedienne who'll duly knock them dead from Mineola to Minnesota.
- Good luck for tonight: I'm sure you'll knock 'em dead!
- ‘You're going to knock them dead,’ she stated firmly, ‘and you're more handsome than any of those actors.’
- I am 5ft 8in, size 8, and want to wear something that will knock him dead.
- She had put on dark red lipstick and was wearing a dress that was sure to knock Chris dead.
- He is so confident that his new energy drink will knock them dead in the market place that he is planning to take on the likes of Lucozade and Red Bull.
- Wear the pink strapless shirt in my second drawer - you'll knock him dead.
- We've got an answering machine gag that seems to knock them dead every time.
Synonyms
make an impression on, have an impact on, influence, affect, leave a mark on, move, stir, rouse, excite, inspire, galvanize

knock someone into the middle of next week

informal Hit someone very hard.

knock it off

informal Stop doing something.
Example sentencesExamples
- Danielle, knock it off. The overprotective mother role doesn't suit you.
- The couple who are renting the place next to mine spent the entire night fighting. They didn't knock it off until well past two in the morning.
- If you're doing this as an attempt to Henry make break off his engagement with his fianceé, knock it off, because it ain't gonna happen!
Synonyms
stop it

knock someone on the head

Stun or kill someone by a blow to the head.
Example sentencesExamples
- Godfrey had predicted prior to his disappearance that he would be knocked on the head.
- If you knocked someone on the head and stole their wallet you would be punished.
- Before Mackenzie could react, she was knocked on the head.
- The next thing he knew something hard had knocked him on the head and he had awakened with a throbbing headache and an ugly bruise.
- Trying to break up a fight between his girlfriend and another girl, he was knocked on the head and then stabbed.
- He was about to say something to her when the others realized it and knocked him on the head and dragged him away.

knock something on the head

informal Prevent an idea, plan, or proposal from being developed or carried out.
the fond belief that the weather is always better in California than in Europe was firmly knocked on the head this week
Example sentencesExamples
- ANY suggestion that refurbishment work on Portlaoise's main street would start before Christmas has been knocked on the head.
- Plans by the owners of Barrington's Private Hospital in Limerick to develop a €12m 40-bed medical clinic in Ferrybank have been knocked on the head by An Bord Pleanála.
- The stunning songwriter has sustained a glittering career, but she's had enough and she's knocking it on the head.
- The deal with Charleroi was knocked on the head because it was ruled uncompetitive.
- She told the German press this week that she had knocked the relationship on the head after five months.
Synonyms
impede, interfere with, hamper, hinder, obstruct, inhibit, frustrate, thwart, foil, spoil, stall, shackle, fetter, stop, check, block, cripple, handicap, scotch

knock spots off

informal Easily outdo.
Example sentencesExamples
- A small, cosy gem on Sherman Drive, this is a classic 1940s bar that knocks spots off most 1990s retro imitations.
- So far, broadcasting certainly knocks spots off work experience at local papers, and I'm getting on top of new techniques, technology and tricks every day.
- In terms of value for money, this knocks spots off many of the established brands of Champagne.
- The Paris Metro knocks spots off London's Tube, but the standard map of the various lines and destinations can be a touch confusing for the uninitiated.

the school of hard knocks

Painful or difficult experiences that are seen to be useful in teaching someone about life.
Example sentencesExamples
- I've learned the hard way at the school of hard knocks.
- Many respondents indicated that valuable learning was only possible via hands-on training in the school of hard knocks.
- Being a person who bypassed college and enrolled directly in the school of hard knocks, I may not be the best source to ask about higher education.
- Unfortunately his father lost his fortune shortly thereafter, and Finlay instead received instruction from the school of hard knocks as he grew up amid grinding poverty in the Glasgow slums.
- So you again enter the catch - 22 situation, where you are either qualified but lacking in the experience department, or the wealth of experience you have gained in the school of hard knocks is wasted as you don't have the qualifications.
- They will very soon get the shock of their lives and learn some very painful lesson in the school of hard knocks.
- It is quite an honor for a working writer (one who has learned the craft in the school of hard knocks, rather than in a writing program) to be asked to teach a class like this.
- Foolishly, I had decided to learn California's unique motorcycle laws and driving rules through the school of hard knocks.
- But admissions departments should make the extra effort to look for signs of character traits, like persistence, imagination, and training in the school of hard knocks, that might be hidden in the numbers.
- ‘The first year was difficult, no doubt about it,’ admits this graduate from the school of hard knocks.
Synonyms
the way of the world, the world, the way things go, the way of it, the human condition, the times we live in, the usual state of affairs, the school of hard knocks

you could have knocked me (or her, him, etc.) down with a feather

informal Used to express great surprise.
Example sentencesExamples
- But when I read it, you could have knocked me down with a feather.
- I felt sure it was something physical like a virus, so you could have knocked me down with a feather when he diagnosed depression.

Phrasal Verbs

knock about (or around)

1Travel without a specific purpose.
for a couple of years she and I knocked around the Mediterranean
Example sentencesExamples
- I should point out that despite several years of Spanish and some time knocking around in Germany, I'm a hopeless monoglot.
- His years knocking around what was then known as the Far East as a freelance writer and journalist had given him an encyclopaedic knowledge of tropical conditions.
- I've been trying to keep busy over the last few days as knocking around the house in the middle of the week, when my wife is at work and Zachery is at school is a strangely hollow experience.
- Weiss has been knocking around L.A. for decades, to the point that he's now considered a fixture on the scene.
- As every day is different, I think about where I'm going and dress accordingly, but I'm at my happiest knocking about in grungy old gardening things.
- I highly recommend it if you're knocking around Cornwall and have a spare day out.
Synonyms
wander, roam, rove, range, travel, travel idly, journey, voyage, globetrot, drift, coast, meander, gad about, gallivant, jaunt, take a trip, go on a trip
1. 1.1Happen to be present.
  it gets confusing when there are too many people knocking about
  Example sentencesExamples
  There are loads of interesting foreigners knocking about.
  I conjectured on the basis of their compilation appearances that the band had been knocking about for a while, and they may very well have been, but this new single is actually their debut release.
  The issue has been knocking around for years, but it came to a head in 2000.
  There's a huge amount of real evidence knocking around that's being ignored by the media.
  Suddenly songs that had been knocking around in his head for more than a decade were finding new life.
  You've got the Trafford Centre and the Arndale Centre, of course, which are fairly well known, but then there's all sorts of smaller places knocking around.
  Although I think I've fixed everything on the front page of the site, there will inevitably be a few broken links knocking around the place.
  Our arts editor tells me she has a few CDs knocking about that I might want to listen to - so I go and take a look.
  Unlike some convertible models that were knocking around a decade or so ago, the one big difference drivers of the new 3 - Series should notice is its stability.
  Mind you, I don't have £130 or so knocking around, so it's a bit academic.
2. 1.2British Spend time with someone.
  she knocked around with artists
  Example sentencesExamples
  Sometimes Robert's friend, 13-year-old Heather, would knock around with them.
  I'm still friends with the same crowd of people I've knocked about with since I was 17.
  He's a nice lad, so are the pals he knocks around with, so I just can't imagine why anyone would do this.
  Des remembers fondly some of the expressions he learnt from mates he used to knock around with.
  ‘When I was about 12 I started knocking around with boys from school - just kissing and touching at first,’ she said.
  I started knocking about with three people from the village.
  He has knocked around with Cuban revolutionaries and Chilean novelists, New York jazz musicians and San Francisco bohemians, in the global intellectual village that stretches from Lima to Mysore.
  They were the type of blokes that my mother dreaded I would end up knocking about with, the type who always had run-ins with the police.
  The 15-year-old cousin he knocked around with in Redfern had been kicked out of their family's home town of Walgett as a public nuisance
  He spent several years working the circuit before heading out to Nashville where he knocked around with the up-and-coming country stars.
  Synonyms
  associate, consort, keep company, go around, mix, socialize, have dealings, have to do with, accompany, escort

knock someone/something about (or around)

Injure or damage by rough treatment.
Example sentencesExamples
- Violent men, who I'm told quite often want sex after they've knocked their wives about, no doubt also classify as frigid the women who don't regard a black eye as acceptable foreplay.
- It's good to see that getting knocked around last Fall helped get his priorities straight.
- ‘They chased after me and started knocking me about,’ she said.
- People get stirred up and aggressive and go home and knock their family about.
- AIt wasn't any secret by the end of the relationship that he had been knocking her about though nobody thought he would ever hurt the kids.
- By the time you reach your 30's, you've been knocked around a bit, but you've made some mistakes and learned a little more about yourself.
- Turbulence was knocking around our noisy little twin-prop plane like a beach ball in a hurricane.
- Being here made me realize what I was missing by being rough with you and knocking you around and flirting with other girls.
- A week in Adelaide with her had knocked Mum around fairly badly on an emotional level.
- Your father was knocked about by the Depression, as nearly every man was, I suppose.
Synonyms
beat up, beat, batter, strike, hit, punch, thump, thrash, smack, slap, cuff, buffet, pummel, belabour

knock someone back

1Reject or discourage a person or their request or suggestion.
he applied for funding for nine different projects and was knocked back each time
Example sentencesExamples
- I wanted to join the committee but I was knocked back at the time by the then chairman, the late Arthur Butler.
- Despite a 20-year record of party commitment, Deacon was knocked back by the selection panel picking candidates for the new parliament.
- Plans to expand a childcare centre in a residential street in Alstonville have been knocked back by Ballina Council, despite a staff recommendation to approve the application.
- The company's first attempt to run train services in Wellington was knocked back by the New Zealand Commerce Commission in December 2001.
- Their request for funds from the Football Foundation was knocked back four times.
- I feel embarrassed knocking him back seeing as we've had such a nice conversation and I don't want him to be wasting time with me if he wants to be chatting up some other woman.
- We kept putting in for planning permission but they kept knocking us back.
- But Leeds planning officers, branding it as ‘inappropriate development for the green belt’, have knocked the proposals back even before they could be considered by councillors.
- South Craven School has been knocked back in its application for foundation status.
- At first Bowman was knocked back by every major broadcaster because of her accent.
2Cost someone a specified, typically large, amount of money.
buying that house must have knocked them back a bit
Example sentencesExamples
- Townhouse-style properties cost in the region of £300,000, while a second-hand villa in Nice, Cannes or Villefranche will knock you back at least £450,000 to £500,000.
Synonyms
be priced at, sell for, be valued at, fetch, come to, amount to, be

knock something back

1Consume a drink quickly.
Example sentencesExamples
- We clinked glasses and I knocked my drink back, feeling the burn in my throat and the warmth in my stomach.
- She poured herself a glass of wine and knocked it back and poured another, then turned to face him.
- Once again Hemingway mechanically picks up his glass, knocks it back in a single gulp, and slams it back down.
- Vodka was limited mostly to the liquor cabinets of Eastern Europe until World War II, when Americans and the rest of Europe started knocking it back.
- The recommended way to enjoy soju or sake, the national drinks of South Korea and Japan, is by quickly knocking them back in short, small shots.
- Four out of 10 men, it said, and two out of 10 women regularly knock back at least a bottle of wine in one session to land them in the binge-drinker category.
- Some bars sell highballs for as little as 75 cents, allowing some people to knock them back like there's no tomorrow.
- Pandora settled down again and enjoyed the mood: everyone was chatting or drinking, mostly vodka, knocking it back like Perrier water.
- Drinkers across the social spectrum are knocking it back like never before and the pressure to join in has never been stronger.
- True beer aficionados know damn well there's more to enjoying a good brew than just knocking it back with detached abandon - sip, gulp, belch.
Synonyms
swallow, gulp down, drink up, swill down, swill, quaff, guzzle, toss off, consume, finish
2Work risen dough by vigorous kneading to expel air before baking.
Example sentencesExamples
- In the morning, I knock it back and leave it to prove again before baking.

knock someone down (or over)

(especially of a vehicle) strike or collide with someone so as to cause them to fall to the ground.
I was nearly knocked down by a bus
Example sentencesExamples
- A child who was standing by the roadside with his mother also died after he was knocked down by one of the vehicles.
- A villager managed to film the attack before he was knocked down, his camera smashed and his arm broken.
- The two boys jumped on him and knocked him down to the carpeted floor.
- The pedestrian went over the bonnet of a car after she was knocked down by a driver who had taken his friend's vehicle, the court was told.
- My five-year-old daughter was nearly knocked down by a man driving a van and chatting on the phone.
Synonyms
fell, floor, flatten, bring down, prostrate, topple, knock to the ground, throw to the ground, rugby-tackle

knock something down

1Demolish a building or other structure.
the closely packed terraced houses were knocked down in the interests of 'progress'
Example sentencesExamples
- Mr Overton's showroom and workshop, a former hairdressing salon and a garage will all be knocked down in the summer of 2006 should plans go forward.
- Why knock these amazing buildings down when they can be refurbished using some great modern architecture?
- It followed reports that the premises might not be re-opened by the new owners as a meat slaughtering facility but would be knocked down and sold as a development site.
- A decision was taken to knock the old building down.
- If the developer purchases the land it is believed he will either use the garages for the new properties or will knock the buildings down to create garden space for more marketable homes.
- Some of the former police houses have already been knocked down and work has begun on the demolition of the old custody area.
- Only he failed to get planning permission and last week successfully fought a bid by the local council to knock it down.
- They thought knocking the building down and replacing it with a new one would be a cheaper option.
- Some people are buying bungalows on the seafront, knocking them down and building another property.
- He told the Institute of Chartered Accountants that it would cost far less to refurbish ‘characterful’ buildings than knock them down.
- After discovering a serious crack in one of the gable walls, they decided instead to knock the house down and rebuild it.
- The three options for Greenroyd Avenue available to the council are to leave things as they are, partly demolish the street, or knock the whole lot down.
- The current owners, Ben Alder Estate, want to knock down the dilapidated building to construct workshops.
- Unable to pay the £2.3m in repair costs or sell the near-ruin, he succeeded in getting planning permission from Perth and Kinross Council to knock the building down.
Synonyms
demolish, pull down, bring down, take down, tear down, destroy
2(at an auction) confirm the sale of an article to a bidder by a knock with a hammer.
Example sentencesExamples
- On Sunday, November 3 a large crowd turned out as auctioneer Matt Dunne set to with the gavel to knock items down to the highest bidder.
1. 2.1informal Reduce the price of an article.
  Example sentencesExamples
  Then he knocked the figure down by 30%. ‘I think a lot of my peers earn too much,’ he says.
  On Apr. 14, IBM shocked the market by announcing disappointing earnings, which knocked its stock down 6%.
  Shipments of PalmSource-based devices dropped 13.3 per cent, knocking its share down from 22.5 per cent to 9.5 per cent.
  We frequently see cases whereby no bidders emerge, even when the price is knocked down to the reserve.
  Originally priced $35, it was knocked down to $30.
  On the day of exchange they knocked the price down by £85,000.
  Depreciation should have knocked the price down to just about zero.
  My colleague and two people at the next table bought one each so were able to knock the price down a little bit.
  The vandalism and burglaries in the area are knocking house prices down.
  When the salesman found out I was military, he started knocking the price down.
  Synonyms
  reduce, lower, cut, decrease, bring down, drop, put down, diminish, mark down
3Earn a specified sum as a wage.
4Spend a pay cheque freely.

knock off

Stop work.
Example sentencesExamples
- They worked on the project three or four afternoons a week, knocking off around five to drink beer and talk.
- Why can't they have patrols instead of knocking off from work early in the day.
- I think I'll knock off for the day and have a nice cup of coffee.
- After a frantic week at work I am planning on knocking off a little early today.
- The typical Australian working day starts in the sunshine at 8am, and shortly after everyone knocks off at 4pm, the parks will be full of men chucking a ball about until the sun goes down.
Synonyms
stop work, finish work, finish working, clock off, close shop, shut down, leave work, finish the working day

knock someone off

1Kill someone.
Example sentencesExamples
- In that film, McCormack is a devilish child who begins knocking off fellow classmates and even the family gardener when they dare to get in her way.
- The plot has a vengeful wife determined to knock off her philandering husband…, but the fellow proves strangely indestructible.
- In fact, I strongly suspect he's concocting a game of his own which involves knocking off family members one by one.
- They started robbing graves but found the demand for bodies outstripped supply so they started knocking off Edinburgh lowlifes who they reasoned would not be missed.
Synonyms
kill, murder, assassinate, do to death, do away with, make away with, get rid of, dispose of, eliminate, liquidate, terminate, finish off
2Have sexual intercourse with a woman.
Synonyms
have sexual intercourse, have sexual intercourse with, make love, make love to, sleep together, sleep with, go to bed together, go to bed with

knock something off

1Produce a piece of work quickly and without much effort.
Example sentencesExamples
- The boys amble about swapping melodies whilst knocking off a string of sunshine West Coast pop hits with unerring ease.
- I've been up for an hour or so knocking off a couple of pieces two whole days before the deadline.
Synonyms
produce, make, turn out, create, construct, assemble, fashion, put together, fabricate
2Deduct an amount from a total.
when the bill came they knocked off £600 because of a little scratch
Example sentencesExamples
- Economists have calculated that a $10 a barrel rise in oil prices knocks about 0.5 percentage points off world growth after 12 to 18 months.
- Opting for third-party insurance consistently knocks about a third off the cost of your premium.
- The argument is that it will save the consumers on the their weekly shopping bill, knocking about 500 off the total annual grocery bill.
- And don't forget to mention that immobilizer and alarm - they could each knock 10% off your quote.
- The food was bad, though, and we sent it back and they knocked the charge off our bill.
- The very least they could do is knock a few pounds off our electricity bills, just as a gesture of good faith.
- Turn down your central heating: a one-degree adjustment on your thermostat could knock hundreds of pounds off your fuel bill.
- Most economists' models are built on what happened in the '70s, and they tell us basically that each $US 10 rise in the oil price knocks about 0.5 per cent off economic growth.
- A slightly more restrictive exhaust system knocks 5 hp off the engine's 220 hp output.
- The government is now trying to persuade its largest creditors to knock some $4 billion off that figure.
Synonyms
deduct, take off, subtract, take away, dock, debit, remove
3Steal something.
Example sentencesExamples
- She'd heard about all the trouble we'd been having with vandals and thieves knocking our gear off, so she said she would feel safer if the posters were inside.
Synonyms
steal, purloin, take, make off with, abscond with, pilfer, misappropriate
1. 3.1North American Rob a shop or similar establishment.
  Example sentencesExamples
  If their children develop behavioral disorders at school, drop out, turn to drugs and begin knocking off 7-Elevensthey won't be surprised.
  First they're nicking comic books, then knocking off whole banks!
2. 3.2Make an illegal copy of a product.
  Example sentencesExamples
  Oh, well, they'll probably sell a load of them at that price before some knocks it off for $5.

knock on

1Grow old.
she's knocking on a bit
Example sentencesExamples
- He's a hard-bitten, funny character who admits that he's knocking on.
- Henning was always a great defender, even when he was knocking on a bit.
2Rugby
Illegally drive the ball with the hand or arm towards the opponents' goal line.
Example sentencesExamples
- Neil Back escaped with a warning after deliberately knocking the ball on, just out of Burke's penalty reach.
- For a moment it looked as if he had knocked the ball on but referee Changleng got the thumbs up from the touch judge and the try was awarded.
- Rugby is a free flowing game and the play will only stop when somebody knocks the ball on or gives away a penalty.
- Chris Spencer drove through the Elland defence but was judged to have knocked on after crossing the line.
- The visitors had two tries disallowed, the first by Webster, who knocked the ball on when gathering and dotting down on the stroke of halftime.

knock someone out

1Make a person unconscious, typically with a blow to the head.
Example sentencesExamples
- So I took some medicine which knocked me out and I slept until 9am.
- He fell, knocked himself out and lay unconscious for hours.
- The only reason I could think of that she wouldn't answer me would be if she was injured or knocked out.
- I took my eye off the road and walked into a lampost, knocking myself out.
- The injured police officers mostly suffered broken bones while one was knocked out after being hit by a flying brick.
- Scottsdale went down next; a blow to his head knocked him out cold.
- The blows knocked me out and the last thing I remember was him screaming: ‘It's all your fault!’
- The blow didn't knock her out, but she crashed to the floor and struggled for breath.
- He fell back through the air, slamming his head into the ground hard enough to knock himself out.
- She's on some mixture of antibiotics and cold medicine that knocks her out for hours at a time.
Synonyms
stun, strike unconscious, knock unconscious, render unconscious, knock senseless, stupefy, daze, lay out, floor, prostrate, level
1. 1.1Knock down (a boxer) for a count of ten, thereby winning the contest.
  Example sentencesExamples
  Just for the record, I picked Frazier to knock Foreman out in 1973.
  In a fight similar to Frazier's destruction of Bob Foster, Tyson knocked Spinks out in the first round.
  In 1959, London had been knocked out in 11 rounds by Patterson in Indianapolis.
  I have not a doubt that had Foreman and Tyson fought anytime between 1990 and 1997 that Foreman would have knocked Tyson out inside of three rounds.
  Remember, Holyfield predicted that he would knock Lewis out in the third round.
2. 1.2informal Work so hard that one is exhausted.
  Example sentencesExamples
  Other times I knock myself out trying too hard to be nice to people.
  I can see I'm unlikely to get all the paintings done I'd hoped to, unless I really knock myself out.
  If knocking myself out to achieve success will bring me that kind of happiness, forget it!
  It's a truism that career ladders are based on the traditional male life plan - he knocks himself out in his 20s and 30s while his wife raises the kids, mends his socks and types his papers.
  Our sales reps are constantly out there training and supporting retailers, doing store openings and just knocking themselves out to help dealers.
  Still, compared to important experiences like meeting my husband and having my kids, having lots of money doesn't seem to be an experience worth knocking yourself out for.
  After a long, discouraging period, she asked a friend, ‘What am I knocking myself out for with guys?’
  We get paid the same money without knocking ourselves out.
  Synonyms
  work hard, labour, work one's fingers to the bone, work like a trojan, work like a dog, work day and night, exert oneself, keep at it, keep one's nose to the grindstone, grind away, slave away, grub away, plough away, plod away
  exhaust, wear out, tire out, overtire, overtax, tire, fatigue, weary, enervate, drain, sap, debilitate, enfeeble, prostrate
3. 1.3informal Astonish or greatly impress someone.
  Example sentencesExamples
  ‘I am knocked out by it - really stunned,’ said Josephine, whose award marks Adult Learners Week in the Eastern region.
  This is the kind of movie that knocks you out with the buildings alone.
  At that gig, they just blew me away, just knocked me out.
  And having guys who give me that, and bring me lovely presents… Well, it just really knocks me out sometimes.
  You know, in his novel The Fourth Hand, Irving does something so great, it just knocked me out.
  The Corolla had already knocked me out with its exquisite style and luxury, its perfectly pitched sense of fun, its innovative design.
  The Hollywood Reporter stated that ‘this movie knocks you out with an astonishing blend of hyper-realism, visual complexity and powerful themes’.
  Synonyms
  overwhelm, overpower, stun, stupefy, amaze, astound, astonish, stagger, take someone's breath away, leave someone open-mouthed, dumbfound, confound, take aback
2Defeat a competitor in a knockout competition.
England had been knocked out of the World Cup
Example sentencesExamples
- The team took the opposition down to the wire and were knocked out in a dramatic penalty shoot out.
- A record six Premiership sides were knocked out of the FA Cup by lower league opposition yesterday.
- When Brazil were knocked out of the Olympic Games quarter-finals in Sydney two years ago, public opinion demanded the politicians investigate.
- Julian Joachim scored twice as Boston knocked Swindon out of the cup at York Street with a 4-1 victory.
- Andre Agassi was knocked out of the French Open in the second round.
- Even though he's Scottish, he was genuinely gutted when England were knocked out of Euro 2000.
- Porto took advantage of a bad offside decision and a horrendous goalkeeping error to knock Manchester United out of the Champions League.
- The tie also gives Liverpool a chance for revenge as they were knocked out of the competition by the Germans on a 4-3 aggregate at the quarter-final stage in 2002.
- Inside the pub at Cambridge Circus, the final whistle blew as Arsenal knocked United out of the FA Cup.
- Last Thursday, Newcastle were knocked out of the UEFA Cup.
Synonyms
eliminate

knock something out

1Destroy, damage, or disable a machine or piece of equipment.
the fault disabled two backup systems and knocked out the computer
Example sentencesExamples
- The earthquake also knocked out power lines on the island.
- In 1989 a solar flare that hit the Earth directly actually knocked out a whole power grid in Quebec.
- Water and sewage lines were heavily damaged and electricity in the area was knocked out after the main transformer was hit.
- The explosion damaged the right engine and flight controls, knocking out both hydraulic systems.
- Tragically, the hit knocked out power and radio contact with the three escort ships.
- The explosion had knocked out his ship's engines and sent him on an uncontrollable spin.
- A bolt of lightning hit the plane, knocking out the engine.
- The guerrillas sabotaged a dam producing a third of the country's electricity, knocking out power in the nation's capital.
- Lightning caused chaos in York today, striking two houses and knocking out rail signalling equipment to bring trains to a halt.
- Telephone services have been knocked out in several parts of the capital.
- On Prince Edward Island, the storm knocked out power and sank boats at the Charlottetown yacht club.
2Produce work at a steady fast rate.
if you knock out a thousand words a day you'll soon have finished
Example sentencesExamples
- They have been knocking out folk classics since 1975 and have performed in a variety of clubs across the county.
- It was taking me about 3-4 weeks a month to write each script, and she told me how very foolish this was, when I could have knocked them out and been making real money.
- They became the country version of The Rat Pack, getting into trouble together and knocking out hit after hit.
3Empty a tobacco pipe by tapping it against a surface.
4Earn a specified sum of money.

knock someone over

(especially of a vehicle) strike or collide with someone so as to cause them to fall to the ground.
a boy on a bike knocked him over and broke his glasses

knock something over

Rob a shop or similar establishment.
Example sentencesExamples
- If I'd knocked over a liquor store that day instead of accepting John's offer, I'd have been out of prison and off parole long before now.
- First they're nicking comic books, then knocking off whole banks!
- If their children develop behavioral disorders at school, drop out, turn to drugs and begin knocking off 7-Elevensthey won't be surprised.

knock someone sideways

Astonish someone.
Example sentencesExamples
- Every now and then, something came up which would completely knock you sideways.
- When they performed this on TOTP, I was knocked sideways.
- But Preston were knocked sideways by the shock of seeing their impregnable lead suddenly wiped out.
- That said, most of what he plays washes over me these days - but once in a while, something comes along and knocks you sideways.
- The sheer wealth and size and richness of America knocked me sideways.
Synonyms
overwhelm, overpower, stun, stupefy, amaze, astound, astonish, stagger, take someone's breath away, leave someone open-mouthed, dumbfound, confound, take aback

knock something together

Assemble something in a hasty and makeshift way.
Example sentencesExamples
- He's knocking some tracks together and trying to get an album together at the moment.
- I've knocked together a little Perl script.
- Well, they did manage to knock together a business plan and get a grant from Inverness Enterprise.
- He responded that as the questions were largely what might pop into the head of whoever knocked the survey together, one should perhaps not read too much into them.
- First-aid and tool kits were knocked together from bits and pieces, and numerous repairs and modifications made the boat safer and diving from her easier.
- He picks up a 3 - D model which looks like something a Blue Peter presenter might have knocked together out of chicken wire, and peers at me through it.
- You can't just knock these things together in a couple of hours.
- I knocked a nice dinner together - thick-cut ham, bubble & squeak, tomato salad and baked beans, followed by a pot of black cherry yoghurt - and enjoyed it greatly.
- One evening we arrived at his home and found his wife had not returned from a meeting so I knocked together a salad for us from the contents of their fridge.
- It would take him no time at all to knock together a chicken coop and it's not like they don't have enough room for it.

knock up

(in a racket game) practise before formal play begins.
Example sentencesExamples
- The idea came when they were knocking up one day last June on the grass courts at Roehampton.
- The players are on court and are knocking up.
- She knocks up with England's seventh seed Elena Baltacha and recently had the chance to play doubles with British number one Tim Henman when he visited the sports centre.
Synonyms
warm up, practise, have a practice game, hit a ball around

knock someone up

1Wake or attract the attention of someone by knocking at their door.
Example sentencesExamples
- I'll knock you up at five to seven and I'd like you downstairs for breakfast at seven sharp.
- One Lib Dem peer was pounding the pavements all day, knocking up voters.
- Some were formal duties, such as inspecting weights and measures or inspecting bridges, others were informal, such as knocking people up early in the morning for work.
- Eventually, after having no luck at all with the key, I had to go next door and knock them up.
Synonyms
wake, wake up, waken, awaken, call, rouse, arouse, get out of bed, get up
2Make a woman pregnant.
Synonyms
make pregnant, impregnate, inseminate

knock something up

1Make something in a hurry.
Example sentencesExamples
- OK the bar man didn't know what a Singapore Sling was but he still managed to improvise and knock something up for us.
- I don't think I have ever seen a film shot entirely with a hand-held camera that didn't feel as if it had been knocked up over the weekend for 300 quid.
- Britain's top food writer knocks up a quick cassoulet, plus dishes for vegetarians
- So anyway I texted this bird called Blánaid and asked her would she like, write something and she's like, ‘Sure, no problem, I'll knock something up for you.’
- I'll knock something up about Solaris if you want; it's all I've seen of Tarkovsky so far, but it's marvellous.
- Top site of the day has to be the license plate maker over at acme.com, which knocks up American car license plates (hence the spelling) from any state and any year, with whatever you want them to say.
- Bea's supreme of chicken with wild mushroom risotto was, she declared, something she could have knocked up in 10 minutes at home.
- From time to time Harry might benefit from knocking up simple but wholesome meals based on fresh produce such as organic meat or fish with some fresh vegetables.
- While chatting with me, Kumar knocked up a delicious meal for six in my less than state-of-the-art kitchen.
Synonyms
make quickly, put together quickly, prepare hastily, build rapidly, whip up, rig up, jerry-build, throw together, cobble together, improvise, devise, contrive
2Cricket
Score runs rapidly.
Example sentencesExamples
- In first class games, Harvey has knocked up 5,745 runs with nine centuries and 32 half-centuries and has captured 332 wickets.
- He is certainly capable of knocking up two or three centuries and that will do Yorkshire and himself a power of good.
- Durham are proving to be this summer's surprise package and there was no doubting their superiority as they bowled out Yorkshire for 205 after knocking up 256 for four.
- Waugh hit six fours and one six in his innings, knocking up his 38th test half-century in the process.
- The former Nottinghamshire player took three for 60 off 18 overs as Mirfield knocked up 194.
Synonyms
achieve, attain, accomplish, gain, win, succeed in making, reach, make, get, obtain

Origin

Old English cnocian, of imitative origin.

The origin of this word is probably an attempt to imitate the sound. When you decide to finish an idea or plan you may say that you are going to knock it on the head, a phrase well established in English by the late 16th century. To knock spots off someone is to outdo them easily. The expression probably comes from the world of competitive shooting. Contestants keen to show off their skilled marksmanship would be required to shoot out the pips or spots on a playing card. The winner would be the person who shot out the most pips—and who might then be described as having ‘knocked spots off’ their rivals. The sense ‘speak disparagingly about’ is recorded from the late 19th century in US usage.

Rhymes

ad hoc, amok, Bangkok, baroque, belle époque, bloc, block, bock, brock, chock, chock-a-block, clock, doc, dock, floc, flock, frock, hock, hough, interlock, jock, langue d'oc, lock, Locke, Médoc, mock, nock, o'clock, pock, post hoc, roc, rock, schlock, shock, smock, sock, Spock, stock, wok, yapok

Definition of knock in US English:

knock

verbnäknɑk

1no object Strike a surface noisily to attract attention, especially when waiting to be let in through a door.
I knocked on the kitchen door
Example sentencesExamples
- Motorists who somehow believe fines will go away if they are ignored will regret their action when bailiffs come knocking at the door.
- There was no noise from inside, so she knocked loudly.
- ‘Next time knock before you come in’ I muttered, my face still beet red as I dried the plates.
- The Slovenian driver was asleep in his cab when he was woken by a man knocking on the window.
- A drunk guy had spilled his drink on me and I wanted to wash my shirt so I barged in without knocking.
- Cameron knocked twice, and the unfamiliar face of Jason Phillips appeared behind a large oak door.
- Competitors from the Asian neighborhood are already knocking at Korea's door.
- I sort of blinked, decided I was dreaming again - I often dream there's someone ringing or knocking at the door - and drifted back to sleep.
- He first learned that a newspaper was on to him when his former mistress interrupted a dinner with a colleague to tell him the News Of The World had been knocking at her door.
- When they approached and knocked on the bathroom door, they heard scuffling and the toilet flushing.
- Her thoughts were interrupted when she heard Steve softly knock at the door before he came in.
- Tash was ready and waiting when David knocked at her door and ushered her into a waiting taxi.
- He knocked gently on the door, drawing the attention of every person in the room.
- Elena knocked, straightening her suit coat, smoothing her hair.
- Amy and I waited until I got sick and tired of waiting, and knocked lightly on the window.
- She went to Mark's apartment and knocked on the door.
- I had just flatly refused to talk to anybody for a few days but Beverly came knocking at my door.
- Jim hung his coat on a peg in the waiting area and walked over to the door, knocking quietly as he opened it.
- After a moment, he knocked louder, trying to compete with the noise.
- He knocked lightly at the door but there was no answer.
- He knocks loudly at the door, and it swings open with a ponderous creak.
Synonyms
bang, tap, rap, thump, pound, hammer
1. 1.1 Strike or thump together or against something.
  my knees were knocking and my lips quivering
  Example sentencesExamples
  The pots and pans that dangled from her pack made a clanging noise, as they knocked together.
  Heart still knocking against her ribs, she strode anxiously to the front door, rising up slightly on her feet to peer through the hole.
  When these cattle move side by side in the herd, their hollow horns knock together, producing a characteristic resonant sound.
  My heart was knocking against my ribs so hard I could hardly breathe, much less speak.
  Not a leaf stirred; we could only hear our hearts beat wildly, knocking against our ribs like a trapped bird.
  When I first met Madonna I was star-struck and my knees were knocking together because I was so nervous.
  In fact, she could almost feel her knees knocking together.
  Her body wouldn't stop trembling, her knees knocked together.
  Gavin reached down to it the same time she did and their heads knocked together.
  My heart was knocking against my chest.
  Her legs were numb and her knees knocked together as she stumbled on the uneven ground.
  Before he could strike, however, the man collided with him from the side, their foreheads knocking together with a loud crack.
  His teeth were rattling in head, his legs had turned to jelly and his knees were knocking together like castanets.
  With the right body language, no one will even know your knees are knocking.
  My knees were actually knocking when I left your studio after telling that story.
  She tried to stand but decided her knees would knock together, so she sat back down.
  Vibrations shot up her arm from the shock of the two steel blades knocking together.
  Only his fast thinking kept their heads from knocking together.
2. 1.2 (of a motor or other engine) make a regular thumping or rattling noise because of improper ignition.
  Example sentencesExamples
  The only time you should consider using a higher-octane gas is if your engine starts to knock or ping.
  While driving your car, you can also listen to the engine: if you hear knocking, it's a good sign that you have trouble.
  This premature ignition (called knocking or pinging) lowers the power output and can damage the engine.
2with object Collide with (someone or something), giving them a hard blow.
he deliberately ran into her, knocking her shoulder
no object he knocked into an elderly man
Example sentencesExamples
- The window suddenly swung open inside, the frame knocking him hard on the chin and sending him sprawling on his back.
- As she stepped forward a couple of younger boys came pounding down the sidewalk and both knocked into her, sending her falling backwards towards the street.
- Most of that evening was pretty much a blur, except I do remember when Adam knocked my elbow by mistake and made me spill a drink all over myself.
- About five of the guys sneered at me while the others ‘accidentally’ knocked into my side.
- You might accidentally knock heads with your partner.
Synonyms
collide with, bump into, bang into, knock against, hit, strike, be in collision with, run into, crash into, smash into, plough into, slam into, dash against, ram, jolt
1. 2.1 Force to move or fall with a deliberate or accidental blow or collision.
  he'd knocked over a glass of water
  Example sentencesExamples
  A new youth shelter being built in Hutton recreation area has been knocked down by vandals even before it is completed.
  I squeaked in surprise, flinging my hand sideways and knocking half a dozen books off the shelf.
  A cyclist was knocked off his bike on Brook Hill a couple of weeks ago.
  An elderly man is critically ill in hospital after being knocked down when a teenager ran across a road and jumped into the middle of a bus queue.
  Two lamps had been knocked over and broken glass covered the floor.
  I stood up quickly, knocking my chair over in the process.
  On the east coast, television pictures showed bricks and tiles had been knocked from some buildings, but there were no indications of serious damage.
  As she was reaching across the table, she accidentally knocked over her glass of Coke.
  Neighbours were beaten back by flames after knocking down the front door.
  A woman was left lying injured after being knocked down by a child riding an off-road motorbike on the pavement.
  He was hit from behind and knocked to the ground.
  He was knocked unconscious and robbed in a vicious attack near Trowbridge Park.
  There are fears the 92-year-old building could be knocked down to make way for a housing scheme.
  The storm knocked down trees and power lines in the area.
  He gasped as the wind was knocked out of his lungs.
  Suddenly something struck him hard, knocking him to one side.
  She took a step forward and was nearly knocked over by a large man rushing past her.
  The court heard Mr Smedley was knocked to the floor before his attackers kicked him twice in the stomach.
  Just as I approached the door, a whirlwind in the form of a small child shot out of the room, colliding with me and knocking me into the wall.
  Suddenly the boat shifted and moved, throwing her to her knees and almost knocking Wes into the water.
2. 2.2 Injure or damage by striking.
  she knocked her knee painfully on the table
  figurative you have had a setback that has knocked your self-esteem
  Example sentencesExamples
  Ruth fell and knocked her head quite hard on the table.
  He knocked my forehead hard, which gave a great deal of pain.
  Being the only single person in your group can be isolating. You start to wonder why you haven't got a partner and this can knock your self-esteem.
  Tom jolted out of his dream, wincing as he knocked his elbow against the bedpost.
  I sat up quickly and promptly knocked my head on the overhang.
  I charged at him, but the boy knocked me hard in the ribs, throwing me back.
  I stumbled to my feet, knocking my knee against a corner of the table.
  Do comments like that spur you on to drive harder or do they knock your confidence?
  Synonyms
  bump, bang, hit, strike, crack
3. 2.3 Make (a hole or a dent) in something by striking it forcefully.
  he suggests we knock a hole through the wall into the broom closet
  Example sentencesExamples
  Anywhere in the area of Amalfi or Ravello, 10 minutes in a taxi will knock a £20 hole in your pocket.
  In one case installation of the computer was delayed a day, and when the team arrived the next morning they found that a hole had been knocked through one of the walls already.
  Columbia broke into pieces during its return trip from space in 2003 because Nasa failed to spot that a hole had been knocked in its wing during launch.
  That's right: if your landlord complains that you're knocking holes in the walls, he or she is too strict.
  This is particularly clever for old buildings where knocking new holes through walls can be tricky.
  Ms Waterman says asbestos entered their flat through a hole which builders knocked in their wall.
  Thieves knocked a hole in the shop wall before making off with equipment valued at about £11,000.
  Sure, it's exhilarating to read a new and undiscovered book that knocks my socks off… I think… I'm not sure it's really happened.
  One rock knocked a four feet hole in a nearby wall and Mr Ayrton said some stones had been found three quarters of a mile away.
  Just down the walk, I found a hole knocked in a garden wall and a hundred bricks missing.
4. 2.4 Demolish the barriers between (rooms or buildings)
  two of the downstairs rooms had been knocked into one
  Example sentencesExamples
  It's a bit of a Tardis - two townhouses knocked together, with a long gallery at the back where the garden used to be.
  To the right are two further rooms which could be knocked into one.
  It consists of the former Egyptian embassy and a one-time annexe to Russia's embassy knocked together.
  Lord Rogers does live in London - he has two Georgian terrace houses knocked together in Chelsea.
  She and her husband Derek live with their four children in Wapping, east London, in two former council flats knocked into one.
  Three Georgian townhouses were knocked together in the 1970s when Edinburgh's planning regulations were looser.
  It seemed a small house from the outside, but on entering they could see that it actually consisted of several houses knocked together around a small courtyard.
  Georgieva gestures around her office, which consists of two rooms knocked into one.
  The new facility, on Rectory Road, replaces the previous cramped and out-of-date building made up of four residential houses knocked together.
  The café looks as if it had been two rooms knocked into one.
3informal with object Talk disparagingly about; criticize.
Example sentencesExamples
- I'm not knocking the company, but it's going to be too small for institutional investors.
- Critics knock the X3 for its austere interior, but most BMWs tend toward the spartan.
- He was raised to think he's the greatest by his parents, who wanted to instill a strong sense of self in him, so it's hard to knock him for his attitude.
- So stop knocking the town you live in and be proud of what we have and what has been achieved here.
- It is hard to knock a man with such charisma and unswerving comic timing, but anyone having had the pleasure of seeing him on stage before would have been disappointed at the lack of new material.
- We had a fair amount of possession and worked hard, I can't knock the commitment.
- It's hard to knock this decision in political terms, and it has a defensible legal rationale.
- That's because whenever they do, they never offer any praise, they will just jump straight in and start knocking what I've done.
Synonyms
criticize, find fault with, run down, disparage, belittle, depreciate, deprecate, detract from, give a bad press to, cast aspersions on, scoff at, deride, jeer at, carp at, cavil at

nounnäknɑk

1A sudden short sound caused by a blow, especially on a door to attract attention or gain entry.
Example sentencesExamples
- She was walking towards her bedroom when a knock sounded on the door.
- I jumped as a sharp knock sounded at my door.
- There was a loud, hard knock at the door.
- He heard another knock and the soft sound of a doorknob being turned.
- The sound of a knock at the door woke him from his reverie, and he walked quickly downstairs.
- As Willow was about to speak, a loud knock sounded on the door.
- A sharp knock sounded at the door, interrupting their conversation.
- She was gazing into the mirror, not really paying attention to the task at hand when a knock sounded at the door.
- About two minutes later, there was a short knock at the cabin door.
- He opened his mouth to speak but was interrupted by a sudden knock at the door.
- He smiled and leaned down to kiss her, frowning as a sudden knock sounded on the door.
- Justin heard loud knocks coming from the front door.
- He nearly jumped out of his skin when the knock sounded at the door.
- There was another knock, this time louder, then the sound of the door opening.
- She must have dozed off, because the sound of a knock at the door made her nearly jump a foot in the air.
- There was no reply, just another knock, louder than the first.
- All of a sudden there was a knock at the front door.
- There was a sudden knock at the door, the noise seemingly unnatural and loud in the silence that I had gotten accustomed to in the past half-hour.
- At half-past six on the dot, a knock sounded on the door.
- It was already very late into the night and Rosalind was beginning to doze off in her chair by the window when a sudden knock at the door startled her out of sleep.
Synonyms
tap, rap, rat-tat, rat-tat-tat, knocking, bang, banging, beating, pounding, hammering, drumming, thump, thud
1. 1.1 A continual thumping or rattling sound made by an engine because of improper ignition.
  Example sentencesExamples
  In the 1920s, lead was added to petrol, and this addition allowed vehicles to reach higher speeds without engine knock.
  This is used to determine when to adjust ignition timing to control knock. - CAS
  Lucas oil Octane Booster eliminates spark knocks, pinging, and dieseling while promoting clean fuel burn for fewer emissions and better mileage.
  When added to gasoline in minute amounts, tetraethyl lead prevents engine knock and increases the gasoline's octane rating.
  Petrol fuels contain a host of additives to enhance octane rating, lower engine knock and counteract water.
  Synonyms
  tap, rap, rat-tat, rat-tat-tat, knocking, bang, banging, beating, pounding, hammering, drumming, thump, thud
2A blow or collision.
the casing is tough enough to withstand knocks
Example sentencesExamples
- Of course with football being a very physical game there were always plenty of knocks to be taken, some leading to injuries and lay-offs.
- Jonathan Smith is expected to undergo a fitness test after sustaining a knock to his knee on Sunday.
- The front wings are plastic and can withstand 15 km/h knocks without damage which reduces repairs.
- Bumps and knocks to the head are quite common, particularly among children.
- He suffered a bad knock on the head in the second half.
- Gashes and knocks that would put a professional footballer out of action for weeks tend to be shrugged off.
- At no stage during the match could he recall having sustained a knock to his head.
- One swift knock to the head knocked the guy out, and we left.
- While the shell does protect the phone's internal components from everyday knocks and bumps, it is not waterproof, merely water resistant.
- The bumps, jarring and knocks can damage the helmet.
- Head guards and helmets protect the skull and the brain from injuries caused by knocks to the head during sports and greatly reduce the risk of serious head injuries.
- No matter how well you drive, with such tight racing and constant jostling for places it is inevitable that you will incur a few bumps and knocks along the way.
- A player just took a hard knock to the head and is lying on the field.
- This time his injury was as a result of an accidental knock to his head as he was laying on a tackle.
- He bent over a little and rubbed his head, it was already throbbing from before so another knock didn't make him feel any better.
- Since one wall was completely knocked down two weeks ago, two more knocks have left the other cracked and weakened.
- The Rams' only other injury worry is over Chris Clarke, who took a knock to a leg during the game at Flixton.
- At present, an estimated three million people in the UK suffer from the condition, which weakens the skeleton so that a simple knock can snap a bone.
- As the blood supply for the scalp is so good, any knock received tends to bleed profusely resulting in blood everywhere and bruising as a result.
- Chelsea could be without William Gallas, who suffered a knock against Villa.
Synonyms
bump, blow, bang, striking, beating, jolt, jar, jarring, shock
blow, bang, stroke, hit, slap, smack, crack, buffet, punch, cuff, thump, box
1. 2.1 A discouraging experience; a setback.
  the region's industries have taken a severe knock
  Example sentencesExamples
  He seems like the kind of guy who has lived life and taken a few hard knocks along the way.
  We're big enough to take the knocks when they're due, but is it so unthinkable sometimes to recognise and celebrate success?
  The party has taken greater knocks in its history than this minor set-back.
  I've suffered a lot of knocks over the years, but I've survived them.
  There are enough hard knocks and challenges in life without us deliberately providing them for each other.
  As the weeks passed, it became ever harder to make ends meet and a £140 servicing for Vivienne's car was a severe knock.
  After the knock suffered by the industry last year because of the Foot and Mouth crisis, tourism operators were hoping for rather better luck this year.
  From Australia's point of view, having got so close and then losing was a big knock.
  Steeton saw their chance of promotion from Division One take a severe knock when they were beaten 2-1 at Ardsley Celtic.
  But this appeal has suffered two huge knocks of late.
  Scotland has become a harsher place and our image as a tolerant and open minded nation has taken a severe knock.
  In the past couple of years, profits at many companies have taken a severe knock.
  In a nutshell, I hadn't suffered the same hard knocks and had little chance of knowing what was really important in life.
  Hovingham's chances of lifting the divisional trophy took a knock when they suffered a shock defeat at Clifton Alliance.
  Synonyms
  setback, reversal, reverse of fortune, rebuff, rejection, defeat, failure, difficulty, misfortune, bad luck, stroke of bad luck, mishap, bad experience, blow, body blow, disaster, calamity, disappointment, grief, sorrow, trouble, hardship
3informal A critical comment.
Synonyms
criticism, disparagement, stricture, fault-finding, denigration, censure, reproach, reproval, condemnation, lambasting

Phrases

knock someone's block off

informal Hit someone very hard in anger.
Example sentencesExamples
- I get home from school a few days later and my mother is looking like she wants to knock my block off.
- The young man turned to look at me, and for a second there, I thought he was going to knock my block off.
- If I were that age - I'd knock his block off if I were his ‘so-called’ teammate.
- In fact, I scared one of them half to death when I walked through the door; she tried to knock my block off with a mop as she thought I was an intruder!
- I'd like to see it myself, except that someone would probably recognize me and try to knock my block off.
- He told Bellamy he would knock his block off if he ever set foot back in Newcastle.
- The first time we met I thought he was going to knock my block off because I'd called him Bart instead of Bartholomew.
Synonyms
strike, slap, smack, cuff, punch, beat, thrash, thump, batter, belabour, drub, hook, pound, smash, slam, welt, pummel, hammer, bang, knock, swat, whip, flog, cane, sucker-punch, rain blows on, give someone a beating, give someone a drubbing, give someone a good beating, give someone a good drubbing, box someone's ears

knock someone dead

informal Greatly impress someone.
Example sentencesExamples
- I am 5ft 8in, size 8, and want to wear something that will knock him dead.
- He is so confident that his new energy drink will knock them dead in the market place that he is planning to take on the likes of Lucozade and Red Bull.
- I nodded and smiled faintly, ‘You're going to knock him dead tonight.’
- We've got an answering machine gag that seems to knock them dead every time.
- She had put on dark red lipstick and was wearing a dress that was sure to knock Chris dead.
- ‘You're going to knock them dead,’ she stated firmly, ‘and you're more handsome than any of those actors.’
- Mandy Siegfried proves herself a young comedienne who'll duly knock them dead from Mineola to Minnesota.
- Wear the pink strapless shirt in my second drawer - you'll knock him dead.
- Good luck for tonight: I'm sure you'll knock 'em dead!
- This album is trying too hard to be smooth and pleasing to the masses, meaning that Wright ends up crooning uninterestingly where she should be knocking us dead.
Synonyms
make an impression on, have an impact on, influence, affect, leave a mark on, move, stir, rouse, excite, inspire, galvanize

knock someone into the middle of next week

informal Hit someone very hard.

knock it off

informal Used to tell someone to stop doing something that one finds annoying or foolish.
Example sentencesExamples
- If you're doing this as an attempt to Henry make break off his engagement with his fianceé, knock it off, because it ain't gonna happen!
- The couple who are renting the place next to mine spent the entire night fighting. They didn't knock it off until well past two in the morning.
- Danielle, knock it off. The overprotective mother role doesn't suit you.
Synonyms
stop it

knock someone on the head

Stun or kill someone by a blow to the head.
Example sentencesExamples
- Trying to break up a fight between his girlfriend and another girl, he was knocked on the head and then stabbed.
- If you knocked someone on the head and stole their wallet you would be punished.
- The next thing he knew something hard had knocked him on the head and he had awakened with a throbbing headache and an ugly bruise.
- Before Mackenzie could react, she was knocked on the head.
- He was about to say something to her when the others realized it and knocked him on the head and dragged him away.
- Godfrey had predicted prior to his disappearance that he would be knocked on the head.

the school of hard knocks

Painful or difficult experiences that are seen to be useful in teaching someone about life.
Example sentencesExamples
- ‘The first year was difficult, no doubt about it,’ admits this graduate from the school of hard knocks.
- Many respondents indicated that valuable learning was only possible via hands-on training in the school of hard knocks.
- It is quite an honor for a working writer (one who has learned the craft in the school of hard knocks, rather than in a writing program) to be asked to teach a class like this.
- Foolishly, I had decided to learn California's unique motorcycle laws and driving rules through the school of hard knocks.
- Unfortunately his father lost his fortune shortly thereafter, and Finlay instead received instruction from the school of hard knocks as he grew up amid grinding poverty in the Glasgow slums.
- So you again enter the catch - 22 situation, where you are either qualified but lacking in the experience department, or the wealth of experience you have gained in the school of hard knocks is wasted as you don't have the qualifications.
- But admissions departments should make the extra effort to look for signs of character traits, like persistence, imagination, and training in the school of hard knocks, that might be hidden in the numbers.
- I've learned the hard way at the school of hard knocks.
- They will very soon get the shock of their lives and learn some very painful lesson in the school of hard knocks.
- Being a person who bypassed college and enrolled directly in the school of hard knocks, I may not be the best source to ask about higher education.
Synonyms
the way of the world, the world, the way things go, the way of it, the human condition, the times we live in, the usual state of affairs, the school of hard knocks

you could have knocked me (or her, him, etc.) down with a feather

informal Used to express great surprise.
Example sentencesExamples
- I felt sure it was something physical like a virus, so you could have knocked me down with a feather when he diagnosed depression.
- But when I read it, you could have knocked me down with a feather.

Phrasal Verbs

knock someone/something about (or around)

Injure or damage someone or something by rough treatment.
Example sentencesExamples
- By the time you reach your 30's, you've been knocked around a bit, but you've made some mistakes and learned a little more about yourself.
- Turbulence was knocking around our noisy little twin-prop plane like a beach ball in a hurricane.
- A week in Adelaide with her had knocked Mum around fairly badly on an emotional level.
- Violent men, who I'm told quite often want sex after they've knocked their wives about, no doubt also classify as frigid the women who don't regard a black eye as acceptable foreplay.
- Your father was knocked about by the Depression, as nearly every man was, I suppose.
- ‘They chased after me and started knocking me about,’ she said.
- AIt wasn't any secret by the end of the relationship that he had been knocking her about though nobody thought he would ever hurt the kids.
- People get stirred up and aggressive and go home and knock their family about.
- It's good to see that getting knocked around last Fall helped get his priorities straight.
- Being here made me realize what I was missing by being rough with you and knocking you around and flirting with other girls.
Synonyms
beat up, beat, batter, strike, hit, punch, thump, thrash, smack, slap, cuff, buffet, pummel, belabour

knock something back

Consume a drink quickly and entirely.
we knocked back a few beers
Example sentencesExamples
- Once again Hemingway mechanically picks up his glass, knocks it back in a single gulp, and slams it back down.
- We clinked glasses and I knocked my drink back, feeling the burn in my throat and the warmth in my stomach.
- The recommended way to enjoy soju or sake, the national drinks of South Korea and Japan, is by quickly knocking them back in short, small shots.
- Some bars sell highballs for as little as 75 cents, allowing some people to knock them back like there's no tomorrow.
- Four out of 10 men, it said, and two out of 10 women regularly knock back at least a bottle of wine in one session to land them in the binge-drinker category.
- Pandora settled down again and enjoyed the mood: everyone was chatting or drinking, mostly vodka, knocking it back like Perrier water.
- Vodka was limited mostly to the liquor cabinets of Eastern Europe until World War II, when Americans and the rest of Europe started knocking it back.
- True beer aficionados know damn well there's more to enjoying a good brew than just knocking it back with detached abandon - sip, gulp, belch.
- She poured herself a glass of wine and knocked it back and poured another, then turned to face him.
- Drinkers across the social spectrum are knocking it back like never before and the pressure to join in has never been stronger.
Synonyms
swallow, gulp down, drink up, swill down, swill, quaff, guzzle, toss off, consume, finish

knock someone down (or over)

(especially of a vehicle) strike or collide with someone so as to cause them to fall to the ground.
Example sentencesExamples
- A child who was standing by the roadside with his mother also died after he was knocked down by one of the vehicles.
- The two boys jumped on him and knocked him down to the carpeted floor.
- My five-year-old daughter was nearly knocked down by a man driving a van and chatting on the phone.
- A villager managed to film the attack before he was knocked down, his camera smashed and his arm broken.
- The pedestrian went over the bonnet of a car after she was knocked down by a driver who had taken his friend's vehicle, the court was told.
Synonyms
fell, floor, flatten, bring down, prostrate, topple, knock to the ground, throw to the ground, rugby-tackle

knock something down

1Demolish a building.
Example sentencesExamples
- Why knock these amazing buildings down when they can be refurbished using some great modern architecture?
- If the developer purchases the land it is believed he will either use the garages for the new properties or will knock the buildings down to create garden space for more marketable homes.
- After discovering a serious crack in one of the gable walls, they decided instead to knock the house down and rebuild it.
- Only he failed to get planning permission and last week successfully fought a bid by the local council to knock it down.
- The three options for Greenroyd Avenue available to the council are to leave things as they are, partly demolish the street, or knock the whole lot down.
- Some people are buying bungalows on the seafront, knocking them down and building another property.
- A decision was taken to knock the old building down.
- Mr Overton's showroom and workshop, a former hairdressing salon and a garage will all be knocked down in the summer of 2006 should plans go forward.
- Unable to pay the £2.3m in repair costs or sell the near-ruin, he succeeded in getting planning permission from Perth and Kinross Council to knock the building down.
- They thought knocking the building down and replacing it with a new one would be a cheaper option.
- It followed reports that the premises might not be re-opened by the new owners as a meat slaughtering facility but would be knocked down and sold as a development site.
- Some of the former police houses have already been knocked down and work has begun on the demolition of the old custody area.
- The current owners, Ben Alder Estate, want to knock down the dilapidated building to construct workshops.
- He told the Institute of Chartered Accountants that it would cost far less to refurbish ‘characterful’ buildings than knock them down.
Synonyms
demolish, pull down, bring down, take down, tear down, destroy
1. 1.1Take machinery or furniture to pieces for transportation.
2(at an auction) confirm the sale of an article to a bidder by a knock with a hammer.
Example sentencesExamples
- On Sunday, November 3 a large crowd turned out as auctioneer Matt Dunne set to with the gavel to knock items down to the highest bidder.
1. 2.1informal Reduce the price of an article.
  Example sentencesExamples
  When the salesman found out I was military, he started knocking the price down.
  Depreciation should have knocked the price down to just about zero.
  We frequently see cases whereby no bidders emerge, even when the price is knocked down to the reserve.
  Originally priced $35, it was knocked down to $30.
  On Apr. 14, IBM shocked the market by announcing disappointing earnings, which knocked its stock down 6%.
  Shipments of PalmSource-based devices dropped 13.3 per cent, knocking its share down from 22.5 per cent to 9.5 per cent.
  On the day of exchange they knocked the price down by £85,000.
  My colleague and two people at the next table bought one each so were able to knock the price down a little bit.
  The vandalism and burglaries in the area are knocking house prices down.
  Then he knocked the figure down by 30%. ‘I think a lot of my peers earn too much,’ he says.
  Synonyms
  reduce, lower, cut, decrease, bring down, drop, put down, diminish, mark down
3Earn a specified sum as a wage.

knock off

Stop work.
Example sentencesExamples
- They worked on the project three or four afternoons a week, knocking off around five to drink beer and talk.
- The typical Australian working day starts in the sunshine at 8am, and shortly after everyone knocks off at 4pm, the parks will be full of men chucking a ball about until the sun goes down.
- Why can't they have patrols instead of knocking off from work early in the day.
- After a frantic week at work I am planning on knocking off a little early today.
- I think I'll knock off for the day and have a nice cup of coffee.
Synonyms
stop work, finish work, finish working, clock off, close shop, shut down, leave work, finish the working day

knock someone off

1Kill someone.
Example sentencesExamples
- In that film, McCormack is a devilish child who begins knocking off fellow classmates and even the family gardener when they dare to get in her way.
- The plot has a vengeful wife determined to knock off her philandering husband…, but the fellow proves strangely indestructible.
- In fact, I strongly suspect he's concocting a game of his own which involves knocking off family members one by one.
- They started robbing graves but found the demand for bodies outstripped supply so they started knocking off Edinburgh lowlifes who they reasoned would not be missed.
Synonyms
kill, murder, assassinate, do to death, do away with, make away with, get rid of, dispose of, eliminate, liquidate, terminate, finish off
2Have sexual intercourse with a woman.
Synonyms
have sexual intercourse, have sexual intercourse with, make love, make love to, sleep together, sleep with, go to bed together, go to bed with

knock something off

1Produce a piece of work quickly and easily, especially to order.
Example sentencesExamples
- The boys amble about swapping melodies whilst knocking off a string of sunshine West Coast pop hits with unerring ease.
- I've been up for an hour or so knocking off a couple of pieces two whole days before the deadline.
Synonyms
produce, make, turn out, create, construct, assemble, fashion, put together, fabricate
2Deduct an amount from a total.
when the bill came, they knocked off $600 because of a little scratch
Example sentencesExamples
- Opting for third-party insurance consistently knocks about a third off the cost of your premium.
- The very least they could do is knock a few pounds off our electricity bills, just as a gesture of good faith.
- Turn down your central heating: a one-degree adjustment on your thermostat could knock hundreds of pounds off your fuel bill.
- Most economists' models are built on what happened in the '70s, and they tell us basically that each $US 10 rise in the oil price knocks about 0.5 per cent off economic growth.
- The argument is that it will save the consumers on the their weekly shopping bill, knocking about 500 off the total annual grocery bill.
- A slightly more restrictive exhaust system knocks 5 hp off the engine's 220 hp output.
- The food was bad, though, and we sent it back and they knocked the charge off our bill.
- And don't forget to mention that immobilizer and alarm - they could each knock 10% off your quote.
- The government is now trying to persuade its largest creditors to knock some $4 billion off that figure.
- Economists have calculated that a $10 a barrel rise in oil prices knocks about 0.5 percentage points off world growth after 12 to 18 months.
Synonyms
deduct, take off, subtract, take away, dock, debit, remove
3Steal something.
Example sentencesExamples
- She'd heard about all the trouble we'd been having with vandals and thieves knocking our gear off, so she said she would feel safer if the posters were inside.
Synonyms
steal, purloin, take, make off with, abscond with, pilfer, misappropriate
1. 3.1Make an illegal copy of a product.
  Example sentencesExamples
  Oh, well, they'll probably sell a load of them at that price before some knocks it off for $5.

knock someone out

1Make a person unconscious, typically with a blow to the head.
Example sentencesExamples
- The blow didn't knock her out, but she crashed to the floor and struggled for breath.
- The only reason I could think of that she wouldn't answer me would be if she was injured or knocked out.
- He fell back through the air, slamming his head into the ground hard enough to knock himself out.
- Scottsdale went down next; a blow to his head knocked him out cold.
- The blows knocked me out and the last thing I remember was him screaming: ‘It's all your fault!’
- So I took some medicine which knocked me out and I slept until 9am.
- He fell, knocked himself out and lay unconscious for hours.
- She's on some mixture of antibiotics and cold medicine that knocks her out for hours at a time.
- I took my eye off the road and walked into a lampost, knocking myself out.
- The injured police officers mostly suffered broken bones while one was knocked out after being hit by a flying brick.
Synonyms
stun, strike unconscious, knock unconscious, render unconscious, knock senseless, stupefy, daze, lay out, floor, prostrate, level
1. 1.1Knock down (a boxer) for a count of ten, thereby winning the contest.
  Example sentencesExamples
  Just for the record, I picked Frazier to knock Foreman out in 1973.
  Remember, Holyfield predicted that he would knock Lewis out in the third round.
  In 1959, London had been knocked out in 11 rounds by Patterson in Indianapolis.
  In a fight similar to Frazier's destruction of Bob Foster, Tyson knocked Spinks out in the first round.
  I have not a doubt that had Foreman and Tyson fought anytime between 1990 and 1997 that Foreman would have knocked Tyson out inside of three rounds.
2. 1.2informal Work so hard that one is exhausted.
  Example sentencesExamples
  We get paid the same money without knocking ourselves out.
  If knocking myself out to achieve success will bring me that kind of happiness, forget it!
  Still, compared to important experiences like meeting my husband and having my kids, having lots of money doesn't seem to be an experience worth knocking yourself out for.
  It's a truism that career ladders are based on the traditional male life plan - he knocks himself out in his 20s and 30s while his wife raises the kids, mends his socks and types his papers.
  Other times I knock myself out trying too hard to be nice to people.
  Our sales reps are constantly out there training and supporting retailers, doing store openings and just knocking themselves out to help dealers.
  I can see I'm unlikely to get all the paintings done I'd hoped to, unless I really knock myself out.
  After a long, discouraging period, she asked a friend, ‘What am I knocking myself out for with guys?’
  Synonyms
  work hard, labour, work one's fingers to the bone, work like a trojan, work like a dog, work day and night, exert oneself, keep at it, keep one's nose to the grindstone, grind away, slave away, grub away, plough away, plod away
3. 1.3informal Astonish or greatly impress someone.
  Example sentencesExamples
  This is the kind of movie that knocks you out with the buildings alone.
  And having guys who give me that, and bring me lovely presents… Well, it just really knocks me out sometimes.
  ‘I am knocked out by it - really stunned,’ said Josephine, whose award marks Adult Learners Week in the Eastern region.
  You know, in his novel The Fourth Hand, Irving does something so great, it just knocked me out.
  The Hollywood Reporter stated that ‘this movie knocks you out with an astonishing blend of hyper-realism, visual complexity and powerful themes’.
  At that gig, they just blew me away, just knocked me out.
  The Corolla had already knocked me out with its exquisite style and luxury, its perfectly pitched sense of fun, its innovative design.
  Synonyms
  overwhelm, overpower, stun, stupefy, amaze, astound, astonish, stagger, take someone's breath away, leave someone open-mouthed, dumbfound, confound, take aback

knock something out

1Destroy a machine or damage it so that it stops working.
Example sentencesExamples
- The earthquake also knocked out power lines on the island.
- Tragically, the hit knocked out power and radio contact with the three escort ships.
- Telephone services have been knocked out in several parts of the capital.
- The guerrillas sabotaged a dam producing a third of the country's electricity, knocking out power in the nation's capital.
- The explosion had knocked out his ship's engines and sent him on an uncontrollable spin.
- In 1989 a solar flare that hit the Earth directly actually knocked out a whole power grid in Quebec.
- The explosion damaged the right engine and flight controls, knocking out both hydraulic systems.
- Water and sewage lines were heavily damaged and electricity in the area was knocked out after the main transformer was hit.
- A bolt of lightning hit the plane, knocking out the engine.
- On Prince Edward Island, the storm knocked out power and sank boats at the Charlottetown yacht club.
- Lightning caused chaos in York today, striking two houses and knocking out rail signalling equipment to bring trains to a halt.
1. 1.1Destroy or disable enemy installations or equipment.
  Example sentencesExamples
  His only option was to chase the enemy ships, and knock them out while they were still running.
2Produce work at a steady fast rate.
if you knock out a thousand words a day you'll soon have it finished
Example sentencesExamples
- They have been knocking out folk classics since 1975 and have performed in a variety of clubs across the county.
- They became the country version of The Rat Pack, getting into trouble together and knocking out hit after hit.
- It was taking me about 3-4 weeks a month to write each script, and she told me how very foolish this was, when I could have knocked them out and been making real money.
3Empty a tobacco pipe by tapping it against a surface.

knock someone over

(especially of a vehicle) strike or collide with someone so as to cause them to fall to the ground.
a boy on a bike knocked him over and broke his glasses

knock something over

Rob a store or similar establishment.
they knocked over a liquor store
Example sentencesExamples
- If their children develop behavioral disorders at school, drop out, turn to drugs and begin knocking off 7-Elevensthey won't be surprised.
- First they're nicking comic books, then knocking off whole banks!
- If I'd knocked over a liquor store that day instead of accepting John's offer, I'd have been out of prison and off parole long before now.

knock someone sideways

Astonish someone.
Example sentencesExamples
- The sheer wealth and size and richness of America knocked me sideways.
- When they performed this on TOTP, I was knocked sideways.
- Every now and then, something came up which would completely knock you sideways.
- But Preston were knocked sideways by the shock of seeing their impregnable lead suddenly wiped out.
- That said, most of what he plays washes over me these days - but once in a while, something comes along and knocks you sideways.
Synonyms
overwhelm, overpower, stun, stupefy, amaze, astound, astonish, stagger, take someone's breath away, leave someone open-mouthed, dumbfound, confound, take aback

knock something together

Assemble something in a hasty and makeshift way.
Example sentencesExamples
- You can't just knock these things together in a couple of hours.
- Well, they did manage to knock together a business plan and get a grant from Inverness Enterprise.
- It would take him no time at all to knock together a chicken coop and it's not like they don't have enough room for it.
- He's knocking some tracks together and trying to get an album together at the moment.
- One evening we arrived at his home and found his wife had not returned from a meeting so I knocked together a salad for us from the contents of their fridge.
- First-aid and tool kits were knocked together from bits and pieces, and numerous repairs and modifications made the boat safer and diving from her easier.
- He responded that as the questions were largely what might pop into the head of whoever knocked the survey together, one should perhaps not read too much into them.
- I knocked a nice dinner together - thick-cut ham, bubble & squeak, tomato salad and baked beans, followed by a pot of black cherry yoghurt - and enjoyed it greatly.
- He picks up a 3 - D model which looks like something a Blue Peter presenter might have knocked together out of chicken wire, and peers at me through it.
- I've knocked together a little Perl script.

knock someone up

1Make a woman pregnant.
Synonyms
make pregnant, impregnate, inseminate
2Knock at someone's door.
Example sentencesExamples
- Eventually, after having no luck at all with the key, I had to go next door and knock them up.
- I'll knock you up at five to seven and I'd like you downstairs for breakfast at seven sharp.
- One Lib Dem peer was pounding the pavements all day, knocking up voters.
- Some were formal duties, such as inspecting weights and measures or inspecting bridges, others were informal, such as knocking people up early in the morning for work.
Synonyms
wake, wake up, waken, awaken, call, rouse, arouse, get out of bed, get up

knock around (or about)

1Travel without a specific purpose.
for a couple of years she and I knocked around the Mediterranean
Example sentencesExamples
- I've been trying to keep busy over the last few days as knocking around the house in the middle of the week, when my wife is at work and Zachery is at school is a strangely hollow experience.
- As every day is different, I think about where I'm going and dress accordingly, but I'm at my happiest knocking about in grungy old gardening things.
- Weiss has been knocking around L.A. for decades, to the point that he's now considered a fixture on the scene.
- His years knocking around what was then known as the Far East as a freelance writer and journalist had given him an encyclopaedic knowledge of tropical conditions.
- I should point out that despite several years of Spanish and some time knocking around in Germany, I'm a hopeless monoglot.
- I highly recommend it if you're knocking around Cornwall and have a spare day out.
Synonyms
wander, roam, rove, range, travel, travel idly, journey, voyage, globetrot, drift, coast, meander, gad about, gallivant, jaunt, take a trip, go on a trip
1. 1.1Happen to be present.
  it gets confusing when there are too many people knocking about
  Example sentencesExamples
  I conjectured on the basis of their compilation appearances that the band had been knocking about for a while, and they may very well have been, but this new single is actually their debut release.
  Suddenly songs that had been knocking around in his head for more than a decade were finding new life.
  Unlike some convertible models that were knocking around a decade or so ago, the one big difference drivers of the new 3 - Series should notice is its stability.
  There are loads of interesting foreigners knocking about.
  You've got the Trafford Centre and the Arndale Centre, of course, which are fairly well known, but then there's all sorts of smaller places knocking around.
  There's a huge amount of real evidence knocking around that's being ignored by the media.
  Although I think I've fixed everything on the front page of the site, there will inevitably be a few broken links knocking around the place.
  Mind you, I don't have £130 or so knocking around, so it's a bit academic.
  The issue has been knocking around for years, but it came to a head in 2000.
  Our arts editor tells me she has a few CDs knocking about that I might want to listen to - so I go and take a look.
2. 1.2British Spend time with someone.
  she knocked around with artists
  Example sentencesExamples
  Sometimes Robert's friend, 13-year-old Heather, would knock around with them.
  He spent several years working the circuit before heading out to Nashville where he knocked around with the up-and-coming country stars.
  I started knocking about with three people from the village.
  ‘When I was about 12 I started knocking around with boys from school - just kissing and touching at first,’ she said.
  He has knocked around with Cuban revolutionaries and Chilean novelists, New York jazz musicians and San Francisco bohemians, in the global intellectual village that stretches from Lima to Mysore.
  Des remembers fondly some of the expressions he learnt from mates he used to knock around with.
  He's a nice lad, so are the pals he knocks around with, so I just can't imagine why anyone would do this.
  They were the type of blokes that my mother dreaded I would end up knocking about with, the type who always had run-ins with the police.
  I'm still friends with the same crowd of people I've knocked about with since I was 17.
  The 15-year-old cousin he knocked around with in Redfern had been kicked out of their family's home town of Walgett as a public nuisance
  Synonyms
  associate, consort, keep company, go around, mix, socialize, have dealings, have to do with, accompany, escort

Origin

Old English cnocian, of imitative origin.

单词	knock
释义	Definition of knock in English: knock verb nɒknɒknɑk 1no object Striket a surface noisily to attract attention, especially when waiting to be let in through a door. he strolled over and knocked on a door marked Enquiries Example sentencesExamples Her thoughts were interrupted when she heard Steve softly knock at the door before he came in. I sort of blinked, decided I was dreaming again - I often dream there's someone ringing or knocking at the door - and drifted back to sleep. The Slovenian driver was asleep in his cab when he was woken by a man knocking on the window. After a moment, he knocked louder, trying to compete with the noise. Tash was ready and waiting when David knocked at her door and ushered her into a waiting taxi. He knocks loudly at the door, and it swings open with a ponderous creak. Elena knocked, straightening her suit coat, smoothing her hair. He knocked gently on the door, drawing the attention of every person in the room. ‘Next time knock before you come in’ I muttered, my face still beet red as I dried the plates. When they approached and knocked on the bathroom door, they heard scuffling and the toilet flushing. Amy and I waited until I got sick and tired of waiting, and knocked lightly on the window. Competitors from the Asian neighborhood are already knocking at Korea's door. Cameron knocked twice, and the unfamiliar face of Jason Phillips appeared behind a large oak door. I had just flatly refused to talk to anybody for a few days but Beverly came knocking at my door. He knocked lightly at the door but there was no answer. He first learned that a newspaper was on to him when his former mistress interrupted a dinner with a colleague to tell him the News Of The World had been knocking at her door. A drunk guy had spilled his drink on me and I wanted to wash my shirt so I barged in without knocking. Motorists who somehow believe fines will go away if they are ignored will regret their action when bailiffs come knocking at the door. There was no noise from inside, so she knocked loudly. She went to Mark's apartment and knocked on the door. Jim hung his coat on a peg in the waiting area and walked over to the door, knocking quietly as he opened it. Synonyms bang, tap, rap, thump, pound, hammer strike, hit, beat, batter, buffet, pummel 1.1 Strike or thump together or against something. her heart knocked painfully behind her ribs Example sentencesExamples Vibrations shot up her arm from the shock of the two steel blades knocking together. My knees were actually knocking when I left your studio after telling that story. Only his fast thinking kept their heads from knocking together. She tried to stand but decided her knees would knock together, so she sat back down. Before he could strike, however, the man collided with him from the side, their foreheads knocking together with a loud crack. With the right body language, no one will even know your knees are knocking. Her body wouldn't stop trembling, her knees knocked together. Not a leaf stirred; we could only hear our hearts beat wildly, knocking against our ribs like a trapped bird. When I first met Madonna I was star-struck and my knees were knocking together because I was so nervous. His teeth were rattling in head, his legs had turned to jelly and his knees were knocking together like castanets. Her legs were numb and her knees knocked together as she stumbled on the uneven ground. My heart was knocking against my ribs so hard I could hardly breathe, much less speak. When these cattle move side by side in the herd, their hollow horns knock together, producing a characteristic resonant sound. Gavin reached down to it the same time she did and their heads knocked together. My heart was knocking against my chest. The pots and pans that dangled from her pack made a clanging noise, as they knocked together. In fact, she could almost feel her knees knocking together. Heart still knocking against her ribs, she strode anxiously to the front door, rising up slightly on her feet to peer through the hole. 1.2 (of a motor or other engine) make a regular thumping or rattling noise, e.g. through pinking. Example sentencesExamples This premature ignition (called knocking or pinging) lowers the power output and can damage the engine. While driving your car, you can also listen to the engine: if you hear knocking, it's a good sign that you have trouble. The only time you should consider using a higher-octane gas is if your engine starts to knock or ping. 2with object Collide with (someone or something), giving them a hard blow. he deliberately ran against her, knocking her shoulder no object he knocked into an elderly man with a walking stick Example sentencesExamples As she stepped forward a couple of younger boys came pounding down the sidewalk and both knocked into her, sending her falling backwards towards the street. The window suddenly swung open inside, the frame knocking him hard on the chin and sending him sprawling on his back. Most of that evening was pretty much a blur, except I do remember when Adam knocked my elbow by mistake and made me spill a drink all over myself. About five of the guys sneered at me while the others ‘accidentally’ knocked into my side. You might accidentally knock heads with your partner. Synonyms collide with, bump into, bang into, knock against, hit, strike, be in collision with, run into, crash into, smash into, plough into, slam into, dash against, ram, jolt North American impact informal bash into 2.1with object and adverbial of direction Force to move or fall with a deliberate or accidental blow or collision. he'd knocked over a glass of water Example sentencesExamples There are fears the 92-year-old building could be knocked down to make way for a housing scheme. On the east coast, television pictures showed bricks and tiles had been knocked from some buildings, but there were no indications of serious damage. He was hit from behind and knocked to the ground. She took a step forward and was nearly knocked over by a large man rushing past her. Neighbours were beaten back by flames after knocking down the front door. A new youth shelter being built in Hutton recreation area has been knocked down by vandals even before it is completed. A cyclist was knocked off his bike on Brook Hill a couple of weeks ago. Two lamps had been knocked over and broken glass covered the floor. He gasped as the wind was knocked out of his lungs. Suddenly the boat shifted and moved, throwing her to her knees and almost knocking Wes into the water. I stood up quickly, knocking my chair over in the process. An elderly man is critically ill in hospital after being knocked down when a teenager ran across a road and jumped into the middle of a bus queue. The storm knocked down trees and power lines in the area. A woman was left lying injured after being knocked down by a child riding an off-road motorbike on the pavement. He was knocked unconscious and robbed in a vicious attack near Trowbridge Park. As she was reaching across the table, she accidentally knocked over her glass of Coke. I squeaked in surprise, flinging my hand sideways and knocking half a dozen books off the shelf. Just as I approached the door, a whirlwind in the form of a small child shot out of the room, colliding with me and knocking me into the wall. The court heard Mr Smedley was knocked to the floor before his attackers kicked him twice in the stomach. Suddenly something struck him hard, knocking him to one side. 2.2 Injure or damage by striking. she knocked her knee painfully on the table figurative you have had a setback that has knocked your self-esteem Example sentencesExamples I charged at him, but the boy knocked me hard in the ribs, throwing me back. Do comments like that spur you on to drive harder or do they knock your confidence? He knocked my forehead hard, which gave a great deal of pain. Ruth fell and knocked her head quite hard on the table. I stumbled to my feet, knocking my knee against a corner of the table. Being the only single person in your group can be isolating. You start to wonder why you haven't got a partner and this can knock your self-esteem. I sat up quickly and promptly knocked my head on the overhang. Tom jolted out of his dream, wincing as he knocked his elbow against the bedpost. Synonyms bump, bang, hit, strike, crack injure, hurt, damage, bruise informal bash, thwack 2.3 Make (a hole or a dent) in something by striking it forcefully. you'll need to knock a hole in the wall Example sentencesExamples This is particularly clever for old buildings where knocking new holes through walls can be tricky. One rock knocked a four feet hole in a nearby wall and Mr Ayrton said some stones had been found three quarters of a mile away. Thieves knocked a hole in the shop wall before making off with equipment valued at about £11,000. In one case installation of the computer was delayed a day, and when the team arrived the next morning they found that a hole had been knocked through one of the walls already. Just down the walk, I found a hole knocked in a garden wall and a hundred bricks missing. That's right: if your landlord complains that you're knocking holes in the walls, he or she is too strict. Ms Waterman says asbestos entered their flat through a hole which builders knocked in their wall. Sure, it's exhilarating to read a new and undiscovered book that knocks my socks off… I think… I'm not sure it's really happened. Columbia broke into pieces during its return trip from space in 2003 because Nasa failed to spot that a hole had been knocked in its wing during launch. Anywhere in the area of Amalfi or Ravello, 10 minutes in a taxi will knock a £20 hole in your pocket. 2.4 Demolish the barriers between (rooms or buildings) two of the downstairs rooms had been knocked into one Example sentencesExamples It's a bit of a Tardis - two townhouses knocked together, with a long gallery at the back where the garden used to be. It consists of the former Egyptian embassy and a one-time annexe to Russia's embassy knocked together. To the right are two further rooms which could be knocked into one. Lord Rogers does live in London - he has two Georgian terrace houses knocked together in Chelsea. The café looks as if it had been two rooms knocked into one. Georgieva gestures around her office, which consists of two rooms knocked into one. It seemed a small house from the outside, but on entering they could see that it actually consisted of several houses knocked together around a small courtyard. Three Georgian townhouses were knocked together in the 1970s when Edinburgh's planning regulations were looser. The new facility, on Rectory Road, replaces the previous cramped and out-of-date building made up of four residential houses knocked together. She and her husband Derek live with their four children in Wapping, east London, in two former council flats knocked into one. 3informal with object Talk disparagingly about; criticize. Example sentencesExamples I'm not knocking the company, but it's going to be too small for institutional investors. Critics knock the X3 for its austere interior, but most BMWs tend toward the spartan. It's hard to knock this decision in political terms, and it has a defensible legal rationale. It is hard to knock a man with such charisma and unswerving comic timing, but anyone having had the pleasure of seeing him on stage before would have been disappointed at the lack of new material. So stop knocking the town you live in and be proud of what we have and what has been achieved here. We had a fair amount of possession and worked hard, I can't knock the commitment. He was raised to think he's the greatest by his parents, who wanted to instill a strong sense of self in him, so it's hard to knock him for his attitude. That's because whenever they do, they never offer any praise, they will just jump straight in and start knocking what I've done. Synonyms criticize, find fault with, run down, disparage, belittle, depreciate, deprecate, detract from, give a bad press to, cast aspersions on, scoff at, deride, jeer at, carp at, cavil at lambaste, censure, condemn, denounce, revile, attack informal slam, pan, bash, pull to pieces, pull apart, pick holes in, maul, savage, flay, throw brickbats at, shoot down, give something a battering, talk something down, have a go at, bad-mouth British informal slate, rubbish, slag off North American informal trash, pummel Australian/New Zealand informal bag 4informal with object Approach (a specified age) he's younger than his brother—knocking seventy Example sentencesExamples Overall, I'm not bad for a man knocking 60. He sounded a little disappointed to hear that they were all knocking thirty. noun nɒknɒknɑk 1A sudden short sound caused by a blow, especially on a door to attract attention or gain entry. Example sentencesExamples A sharp knock sounded at the door, interrupting their conversation. He nearly jumped out of his skin when the knock sounded at the door. The sound of a knock at the door woke him from his reverie, and he walked quickly downstairs. He heard another knock and the soft sound of a doorknob being turned. All of a sudden there was a knock at the front door. About two minutes later, there was a short knock at the cabin door. As Willow was about to speak, a loud knock sounded on the door. He smiled and leaned down to kiss her, frowning as a sudden knock sounded on the door. There was another knock, this time louder, then the sound of the door opening. There was a loud, hard knock at the door. She was walking towards her bedroom when a knock sounded on the door. It was already very late into the night and Rosalind was beginning to doze off in her chair by the window when a sudden knock at the door startled her out of sleep. She must have dozed off, because the sound of a knock at the door made her nearly jump a foot in the air. I jumped as a sharp knock sounded at my door. There was no reply, just another knock, louder than the first. He opened his mouth to speak but was interrupted by a sudden knock at the door. She was gazing into the mirror, not really paying attention to the task at hand when a knock sounded at the door. There was a sudden knock at the door, the noise seemingly unnatural and loud in the silence that I had gotten accustomed to in the past half-hour. At half-past six on the dot, a knock sounded on the door. Justin heard loud knocks coming from the front door. Synonyms tap, rap, rat-tat, rat-tat-tat, knocking, bang, banging, beating, pounding, hammering, drumming, thump, thud 1.1mass noun A continual thumping or rattling sound made by an engine. Example sentencesExamples Petrol fuels contain a host of additives to enhance octane rating, lower engine knock and counteract water. In the 1920s, lead was added to petrol, and this addition allowed vehicles to reach higher speeds without engine knock. When added to gasoline in minute amounts, tetraethyl lead prevents engine knock and increases the gasoline's octane rating. Lucas oil Octane Booster eliminates spark knocks, pinging, and dieseling while promoting clean fuel burn for fewer emissions and better mileage. This is used to determine when to adjust ignition timing to control knock. - CAS Synonyms tap, rap, rat-tat, rat-tat-tat, knocking, bang, banging, beating, pounding, hammering, drumming, thump, thud 2A blow or collision. the casing is tough enough to withstand knocks Example sentencesExamples Gashes and knocks that would put a professional footballer out of action for weeks tend to be shrugged off. This time his injury was as a result of an accidental knock to his head as he was laying on a tackle. Jonathan Smith is expected to undergo a fitness test after sustaining a knock to his knee on Sunday. He bent over a little and rubbed his head, it was already throbbing from before so another knock didn't make him feel any better. Head guards and helmets protect the skull and the brain from injuries caused by knocks to the head during sports and greatly reduce the risk of serious head injuries. While the shell does protect the phone's internal components from everyday knocks and bumps, it is not waterproof, merely water resistant. Since one wall was completely knocked down two weeks ago, two more knocks have left the other cracked and weakened. At no stage during the match could he recall having sustained a knock to his head. As the blood supply for the scalp is so good, any knock received tends to bleed profusely resulting in blood everywhere and bruising as a result. He suffered a bad knock on the head in the second half. Chelsea could be without William Gallas, who suffered a knock against Villa. The Rams' only other injury worry is over Chris Clarke, who took a knock to a leg during the game at Flixton. The bumps, jarring and knocks can damage the helmet. One swift knock to the head knocked the guy out, and we left. A player just took a hard knock to the head and is lying on the field. At present, an estimated three million people in the UK suffer from the condition, which weakens the skeleton so that a simple knock can snap a bone. Bumps and knocks to the head are quite common, particularly among children. No matter how well you drive, with such tight racing and constant jostling for places it is inevitable that you will incur a few bumps and knocks along the way. The front wings are plastic and can withstand 15 km/h knocks without damage which reduces repairs. Of course with football being a very physical game there were always plenty of knocks to be taken, some leading to injuries and lay-offs. Synonyms bump, blow, bang, striking, beating, jolt, jar, jarring, shock collision, crash, smash, impact blow, bang, stroke, hit, slap, smack, crack, buffet, punch, cuff, thump, box informal clip, clout, wallop, thwack, belt, bash 2.1 A discouraging experience; a setback. the region's industries have taken a severe knock Example sentencesExamples But this appeal has suffered two huge knocks of late. From Australia's point of view, having got so close and then losing was a big knock. Scotland has become a harsher place and our image as a tolerant and open minded nation has taken a severe knock. He seems like the kind of guy who has lived life and taken a few hard knocks along the way. In a nutshell, I hadn't suffered the same hard knocks and had little chance of knowing what was really important in life. In the past couple of years, profits at many companies have taken a severe knock. We're big enough to take the knocks when they're due, but is it so unthinkable sometimes to recognise and celebrate success? Steeton saw their chance of promotion from Division One take a severe knock when they were beaten 2-1 at Ardsley Celtic. After the knock suffered by the industry last year because of the Foot and Mouth crisis, tourism operators were hoping for rather better luck this year. The party has taken greater knocks in its history than this minor set-back. As the weeks passed, it became ever harder to make ends meet and a £140 servicing for Vivienne's car was a severe knock. I've suffered a lot of knocks over the years, but I've survived them. There are enough hard knocks and challenges in life without us deliberately providing them for each other. Hovingham's chances of lifting the divisional trophy took a knock when they suffered a shock defeat at Clifton Alliance. Synonyms setback, reversal, reverse of fortune, rebuff, rejection, defeat, failure, difficulty, misfortune, bad luck, stroke of bad luck, mishap, bad experience, blow, body blow, disaster, calamity, disappointment, grief, sorrow, trouble, hardship informal kick in the teeth, one in the eye, whammy 2.2informal A critical comment. Example sentencesExamples In recent seasons, the FA Cup has taken a few knocks from the critics, but in my eyes there is still a lot of magic associated with the competition. This is no knock against Lucas, who does a fine job in his short scenes, but it is a structural problem that the film does not entirely solve. If they want to get ahead, Ms McIntosh says, women have to be prepared to develop thick skins, and the confidence to take the knocks and criticism that go with a high-powered job. The only knock is he lacks experience against elite-level competition. Synonyms criticism, disparagement, stricture, fault-finding, denigration, censure, reproach, reproval, condemnation, lambasting informal slamming, panning, slagging off, rubbishing, slating, flak, brickbats 3Cricket informal An innings, especially of an individual batsman. a splendid knock of 117 against Somerset Example sentencesExamples Cook struck 12 fours in his 343-ball knock lasting over six hours. Ian Winterbottom held the innings together with a knock of 51. Jeff Whitmore assisted with a captain's knock of 42 before being caught of a big Brad Tanner delivery. He struck 12 fours in his 259-ball knock. A feature of the NatWest Series was how well Australia adjusted a couple of times to difficult surfaces, with Mike Hussey in particular playing some splendid knocks under pressure. Phrases knock someone's block off informal Hit someone very hard. Example sentencesExamples He told Bellamy he would knock his block off if he ever set foot back in Newcastle. I get home from school a few days later and my mother is looking like she wants to knock my block off. The first time we met I thought he was going to knock my block off because I'd called him Bart instead of Bartholomew. The young man turned to look at me, and for a second there, I thought he was going to knock my block off. In fact, I scared one of them half to death when I walked through the door; she tried to knock my block off with a mop as she thought I was an intruder! If I were that age - I'd knock his block off if I were his ‘so-called’ teammate. I'd like to see it myself, except that someone would probably recognize me and try to knock my block off. Synonyms strike, slap, smack, cuff, punch, beat, thrash, thump, batter, belabour, drub, hook, pound, smash, slam, welt, pummel, hammer, bang, knock, swat, whip, flog, cane, sucker-punch, rain blows on, give someone a beating, give someone a drubbing, give someone a good beating, give someone a good drubbing, box someone's ears knock someone dead informal Greatly impress someone. Example sentencesExamples I nodded and smiled faintly, ‘You're going to knock him dead tonight.’ This album is trying too hard to be smooth and pleasing to the masses, meaning that Wright ends up crooning uninterestingly where she should be knocking us dead. Mandy Siegfried proves herself a young comedienne who'll duly knock them dead from Mineola to Minnesota. Good luck for tonight: I'm sure you'll knock 'em dead! ‘You're going to knock them dead,’ she stated firmly, ‘and you're more handsome than any of those actors.’ I am 5ft 8in, size 8, and want to wear something that will knock him dead. She had put on dark red lipstick and was wearing a dress that was sure to knock Chris dead. He is so confident that his new energy drink will knock them dead in the market place that he is planning to take on the likes of Lucozade and Red Bull. Wear the pink strapless shirt in my second drawer - you'll knock him dead. We've got an answering machine gag that seems to knock them dead every time. Synonyms make an impression on, have an impact on, influence, affect, leave a mark on, move, stir, rouse, excite, inspire, galvanize knock someone into the middle of next week informal Hit someone very hard. knock it off informal Stop doing something. Example sentencesExamples Danielle, knock it off. The overprotective mother role doesn't suit you. The couple who are renting the place next to mine spent the entire night fighting. They didn't knock it off until well past two in the morning. If you're doing this as an attempt to Henry make break off his engagement with his fianceé, knock it off, because it ain't gonna happen! Synonyms stop it knock someone on the head Stun or kill someone by a blow to the head. Example sentencesExamples Godfrey had predicted prior to his disappearance that he would be knocked on the head. If you knocked someone on the head and stole their wallet you would be punished. Before Mackenzie could react, she was knocked on the head. The next thing he knew something hard had knocked him on the head and he had awakened with a throbbing headache and an ugly bruise. Trying to break up a fight between his girlfriend and another girl, he was knocked on the head and then stabbed. He was about to say something to her when the others realized it and knocked him on the head and dragged him away. knock something on the head informal Prevent an idea, plan, or proposal from being developed or carried out. the fond belief that the weather is always better in California than in Europe was firmly knocked on the head this week Example sentencesExamples ANY suggestion that refurbishment work on Portlaoise's main street would start before Christmas has been knocked on the head. Plans by the owners of Barrington's Private Hospital in Limerick to develop a €12m 40-bed medical clinic in Ferrybank have been knocked on the head by An Bord Pleanála. The stunning songwriter has sustained a glittering career, but she's had enough and she's knocking it on the head. The deal with Charleroi was knocked on the head because it was ruled uncompetitive. She told the German press this week that she had knocked the relationship on the head after five months. Synonyms impede, interfere with, hamper, hinder, obstruct, inhibit, frustrate, thwart, foil, spoil, stall, shackle, fetter, stop, check, block, cripple, handicap, scotch knock spots off informal Easily outdo. Example sentencesExamples A small, cosy gem on Sherman Drive, this is a classic 1940s bar that knocks spots off most 1990s retro imitations. So far, broadcasting certainly knocks spots off work experience at local papers, and I'm getting on top of new techniques, technology and tricks every day. In terms of value for money, this knocks spots off many of the established brands of Champagne. The Paris Metro knocks spots off London's Tube, but the standard map of the various lines and destinations can be a touch confusing for the uninitiated. the school of hard knocks Painful or difficult experiences that are seen to be useful in teaching someone about life. Example sentencesExamples I've learned the hard way at the school of hard knocks. Many respondents indicated that valuable learning was only possible via hands-on training in the school of hard knocks. Being a person who bypassed college and enrolled directly in the school of hard knocks, I may not be the best source to ask about higher education. Unfortunately his father lost his fortune shortly thereafter, and Finlay instead received instruction from the school of hard knocks as he grew up amid grinding poverty in the Glasgow slums. So you again enter the catch - 22 situation, where you are either qualified but lacking in the experience department, or the wealth of experience you have gained in the school of hard knocks is wasted as you don't have the qualifications. They will very soon get the shock of their lives and learn some very painful lesson in the school of hard knocks. It is quite an honor for a working writer (one who has learned the craft in the school of hard knocks, rather than in a writing program) to be asked to teach a class like this. Foolishly, I had decided to learn California's unique motorcycle laws and driving rules through the school of hard knocks. But admissions departments should make the extra effort to look for signs of character traits, like persistence, imagination, and training in the school of hard knocks, that might be hidden in the numbers. ‘The first year was difficult, no doubt about it,’ admits this graduate from the school of hard knocks. Synonyms the way of the world, the world, the way things go, the way of it, the human condition, the times we live in, the usual state of affairs, the school of hard knocks you could have knocked me (or her, him, etc.) down with a feather informal Used to express great surprise. Example sentencesExamples But when I read it, you could have knocked me down with a feather. I felt sure it was something physical like a virus, so you could have knocked me down with a feather when he diagnosed depression. Phrasal Verbs knock about (or around) 1Travel without a specific purpose. for a couple of years she and I knocked around the Mediterranean Example sentencesExamples I should point out that despite several years of Spanish and some time knocking around in Germany, I'm a hopeless monoglot. His years knocking around what was then known as the Far East as a freelance writer and journalist had given him an encyclopaedic knowledge of tropical conditions. I've been trying to keep busy over the last few days as knocking around the house in the middle of the week, when my wife is at work and Zachery is at school is a strangely hollow experience. Weiss has been knocking around L.A. for decades, to the point that he's now considered a fixture on the scene. As every day is different, I think about where I'm going and dress accordingly, but I'm at my happiest knocking about in grungy old gardening things. I highly recommend it if you're knocking around Cornwall and have a spare day out. Synonyms wander, roam, rove, range, travel, travel idly, journey, voyage, globetrot, drift, coast, meander, gad about, gallivant, jaunt, take a trip, go on a trip 1.1Happen to be present. it gets confusing when there are too many people knocking about Example sentencesExamples There are loads of interesting foreigners knocking about. I conjectured on the basis of their compilation appearances that the band had been knocking about for a while, and they may very well have been, but this new single is actually their debut release. The issue has been knocking around for years, but it came to a head in 2000. There's a huge amount of real evidence knocking around that's being ignored by the media. Suddenly songs that had been knocking around in his head for more than a decade were finding new life. You've got the Trafford Centre and the Arndale Centre, of course, which are fairly well known, but then there's all sorts of smaller places knocking around. Although I think I've fixed everything on the front page of the site, there will inevitably be a few broken links knocking around the place. Our arts editor tells me she has a few CDs knocking about that I might want to listen to - so I go and take a look. Unlike some convertible models that were knocking around a decade or so ago, the one big difference drivers of the new 3 - Series should notice is its stability. Mind you, I don't have £130 or so knocking around, so it's a bit academic. 1.2British Spend time with someone. she knocked around with artists Example sentencesExamples Sometimes Robert's friend, 13-year-old Heather, would knock around with them. I'm still friends with the same crowd of people I've knocked about with since I was 17. He's a nice lad, so are the pals he knocks around with, so I just can't imagine why anyone would do this. Des remembers fondly some of the expressions he learnt from mates he used to knock around with. ‘When I was about 12 I started knocking around with boys from school - just kissing and touching at first,’ she said. I started knocking about with three people from the village. He has knocked around with Cuban revolutionaries and Chilean novelists, New York jazz musicians and San Francisco bohemians, in the global intellectual village that stretches from Lima to Mysore. They were the type of blokes that my mother dreaded I would end up knocking about with, the type who always had run-ins with the police. The 15-year-old cousin he knocked around with in Redfern had been kicked out of their family's home town of Walgett as a public nuisance He spent several years working the circuit before heading out to Nashville where he knocked around with the up-and-coming country stars. Synonyms associate, consort, keep company, go around, mix, socialize, have dealings, have to do with, accompany, escort knock someone/something about (or around) Injure or damage by rough treatment. Example sentencesExamples Violent men, who I'm told quite often want sex after they've knocked their wives about, no doubt also classify as frigid the women who don't regard a black eye as acceptable foreplay. It's good to see that getting knocked around last Fall helped get his priorities straight. ‘They chased after me and started knocking me about,’ she said. People get stirred up and aggressive and go home and knock their family about. AIt wasn't any secret by the end of the relationship that he had been knocking her about though nobody thought he would ever hurt the kids. By the time you reach your 30's, you've been knocked around a bit, but you've made some mistakes and learned a little more about yourself. Turbulence was knocking around our noisy little twin-prop plane like a beach ball in a hurricane. Being here made me realize what I was missing by being rough with you and knocking you around and flirting with other girls. A week in Adelaide with her had knocked Mum around fairly badly on an emotional level. Your father was knocked about by the Depression, as nearly every man was, I suppose. Synonyms beat up, beat, batter, strike, hit, punch, thump, thrash, smack, slap, cuff, buffet, pummel, belabour knock someone back 1Reject or discourage a person or their request or suggestion. he applied for funding for nine different projects and was knocked back each time Example sentencesExamples I wanted to join the committee but I was knocked back at the time by the then chairman, the late Arthur Butler. Despite a 20-year record of party commitment, Deacon was knocked back by the selection panel picking candidates for the new parliament. Plans to expand a childcare centre in a residential street in Alstonville have been knocked back by Ballina Council, despite a staff recommendation to approve the application. The company's first attempt to run train services in Wellington was knocked back by the New Zealand Commerce Commission in December 2001. Their request for funds from the Football Foundation was knocked back four times. I feel embarrassed knocking him back seeing as we've had such a nice conversation and I don't want him to be wasting time with me if he wants to be chatting up some other woman. We kept putting in for planning permission but they kept knocking us back. But Leeds planning officers, branding it as ‘inappropriate development for the green belt’, have knocked the proposals back even before they could be considered by councillors. South Craven School has been knocked back in its application for foundation status. At first Bowman was knocked back by every major broadcaster because of her accent. 2Cost someone a specified, typically large, amount of money. buying that house must have knocked them back a bit Example sentencesExamples Townhouse-style properties cost in the region of £300,000, while a second-hand villa in Nice, Cannes or Villefranche will knock you back at least £450,000 to £500,000. Synonyms be priced at, sell for, be valued at, fetch, come to, amount to, be knock something back 1Consume a drink quickly. Example sentencesExamples We clinked glasses and I knocked my drink back, feeling the burn in my throat and the warmth in my stomach. She poured herself a glass of wine and knocked it back and poured another, then turned to face him. Once again Hemingway mechanically picks up his glass, knocks it back in a single gulp, and slams it back down. Vodka was limited mostly to the liquor cabinets of Eastern Europe until World War II, when Americans and the rest of Europe started knocking it back. The recommended way to enjoy soju or sake, the national drinks of South Korea and Japan, is by quickly knocking them back in short, small shots. Four out of 10 men, it said, and two out of 10 women regularly knock back at least a bottle of wine in one session to land them in the binge-drinker category. Some bars sell highballs for as little as 75 cents, allowing some people to knock them back like there's no tomorrow. Pandora settled down again and enjoyed the mood: everyone was chatting or drinking, mostly vodka, knocking it back like Perrier water. Drinkers across the social spectrum are knocking it back like never before and the pressure to join in has never been stronger. True beer aficionados know damn well there's more to enjoying a good brew than just knocking it back with detached abandon - sip, gulp, belch. Synonyms swallow, gulp down, drink up, swill down, swill, quaff, guzzle, toss off, consume, finish 2Work risen dough by vigorous kneading to expel air before baking. Example sentencesExamples In the morning, I knock it back and leave it to prove again before baking. knock someone down (or over) (especially of a vehicle) strike or collide with someone so as to cause them to fall to the ground. I was nearly knocked down by a bus Example sentencesExamples A child who was standing by the roadside with his mother also died after he was knocked down by one of the vehicles. A villager managed to film the attack before he was knocked down, his camera smashed and his arm broken. The two boys jumped on him and knocked him down to the carpeted floor. The pedestrian went over the bonnet of a car after she was knocked down by a driver who had taken his friend's vehicle, the court was told. My five-year-old daughter was nearly knocked down by a man driving a van and chatting on the phone. Synonyms fell, floor, flatten, bring down, prostrate, topple, knock to the ground, throw to the ground, rugby-tackle knock something down 1Demolish a building or other structure. the closely packed terraced houses were knocked down in the interests of 'progress' Example sentencesExamples Mr Overton's showroom and workshop, a former hairdressing salon and a garage will all be knocked down in the summer of 2006 should plans go forward. Why knock these amazing buildings down when they can be refurbished using some great modern architecture? It followed reports that the premises might not be re-opened by the new owners as a meat slaughtering facility but would be knocked down and sold as a development site. A decision was taken to knock the old building down. If the developer purchases the land it is believed he will either use the garages for the new properties or will knock the buildings down to create garden space for more marketable homes. Some of the former police houses have already been knocked down and work has begun on the demolition of the old custody area. Only he failed to get planning permission and last week successfully fought a bid by the local council to knock it down. They thought knocking the building down and replacing it with a new one would be a cheaper option. Some people are buying bungalows on the seafront, knocking them down and building another property. He told the Institute of Chartered Accountants that it would cost far less to refurbish ‘characterful’ buildings than knock them down. After discovering a serious crack in one of the gable walls, they decided instead to knock the house down and rebuild it. The three options for Greenroyd Avenue available to the council are to leave things as they are, partly demolish the street, or knock the whole lot down. The current owners, Ben Alder Estate, want to knock down the dilapidated building to construct workshops. Unable to pay the £2.3m in repair costs or sell the near-ruin, he succeeded in getting planning permission from Perth and Kinross Council to knock the building down. Synonyms demolish, pull down, bring down, take down, tear down, destroy 2(at an auction) confirm the sale of an article to a bidder by a knock with a hammer. Example sentencesExamples On Sunday, November 3 a large crowd turned out as auctioneer Matt Dunne set to with the gavel to knock items down to the highest bidder. 2.1informal Reduce the price of an article. Example sentencesExamples Then he knocked the figure down by 30%. ‘I think a lot of my peers earn too much,’ he says. On Apr. 14, IBM shocked the market by announcing disappointing earnings, which knocked its stock down 6%. Shipments of PalmSource-based devices dropped 13.3 per cent, knocking its share down from 22.5 per cent to 9.5 per cent. We frequently see cases whereby no bidders emerge, even when the price is knocked down to the reserve. Originally priced $35, it was knocked down to $30. On the day of exchange they knocked the price down by £85,000. Depreciation should have knocked the price down to just about zero. My colleague and two people at the next table bought one each so were able to knock the price down a little bit. The vandalism and burglaries in the area are knocking house prices down. When the salesman found out I was military, he started knocking the price down. Synonyms reduce, lower, cut, decrease, bring down, drop, put down, diminish, mark down 3Earn a specified sum as a wage. 4Spend a pay cheque freely. knock off Stop work. Example sentencesExamples They worked on the project three or four afternoons a week, knocking off around five to drink beer and talk. Why can't they have patrols instead of knocking off from work early in the day. I think I'll knock off for the day and have a nice cup of coffee. After a frantic week at work I am planning on knocking off a little early today. The typical Australian working day starts in the sunshine at 8am, and shortly after everyone knocks off at 4pm, the parks will be full of men chucking a ball about until the sun goes down. Synonyms stop work, finish work, finish working, clock off, close shop, shut down, leave work, finish the working day knock someone off 1Kill someone. Example sentencesExamples In that film, McCormack is a devilish child who begins knocking off fellow classmates and even the family gardener when they dare to get in her way. The plot has a vengeful wife determined to knock off her philandering husband…, but the fellow proves strangely indestructible. In fact, I strongly suspect he's concocting a game of his own which involves knocking off family members one by one. They started robbing graves but found the demand for bodies outstripped supply so they started knocking off Edinburgh lowlifes who they reasoned would not be missed. Synonyms kill, murder, assassinate, do to death, do away with, make away with, get rid of, dispose of, eliminate, liquidate, terminate, finish off 2Have sexual intercourse with a woman. Synonyms have sexual intercourse, have sexual intercourse with, make love, make love to, sleep together, sleep with, go to bed together, go to bed with knock something off 1Produce a piece of work quickly and without much effort. Example sentencesExamples The boys amble about swapping melodies whilst knocking off a string of sunshine West Coast pop hits with unerring ease. I've been up for an hour or so knocking off a couple of pieces two whole days before the deadline. Synonyms produce, make, turn out, create, construct, assemble, fashion, put together, fabricate 2Deduct an amount from a total. when the bill came they knocked off £600 because of a little scratch Example sentencesExamples Economists have calculated that a $10 a barrel rise in oil prices knocks about 0.5 percentage points off world growth after 12 to 18 months. Opting for third-party insurance consistently knocks about a third off the cost of your premium. The argument is that it will save the consumers on the their weekly shopping bill, knocking about 500 off the total annual grocery bill. And don't forget to mention that immobilizer and alarm - they could each knock 10% off your quote. The food was bad, though, and we sent it back and they knocked the charge off our bill. The very least they could do is knock a few pounds off our electricity bills, just as a gesture of good faith. Turn down your central heating: a one-degree adjustment on your thermostat could knock hundreds of pounds off your fuel bill. Most economists' models are built on what happened in the '70s, and they tell us basically that each $US 10 rise in the oil price knocks about 0.5 per cent off economic growth. A slightly more restrictive exhaust system knocks 5 hp off the engine's 220 hp output. The government is now trying to persuade its largest creditors to knock some $4 billion off that figure. Synonyms deduct, take off, subtract, take away, dock, debit, remove 3Steal something. Example sentencesExamples She'd heard about all the trouble we'd been having with vandals and thieves knocking our gear off, so she said she would feel safer if the posters were inside. Synonyms steal, purloin, take, make off with, abscond with, pilfer, misappropriate 3.1North American Rob a shop or similar establishment. Example sentencesExamples If their children develop behavioral disorders at school, drop out, turn to drugs and begin knocking off 7-Elevensthey won't be surprised. First they're nicking comic books, then knocking off whole banks! 3.2Make an illegal copy of a product. Example sentencesExamples Oh, well, they'll probably sell a load of them at that price before some knocks it off for $5. knock on 1Grow old. she's knocking on a bit Example sentencesExamples He's a hard-bitten, funny character who admits that he's knocking on. Henning was always a great defender, even when he was knocking on a bit. 2Rugby Illegally drive the ball with the hand or arm towards the opponents' goal line. Example sentencesExamples Neil Back escaped with a warning after deliberately knocking the ball on, just out of Burke's penalty reach. For a moment it looked as if he had knocked the ball on but referee Changleng got the thumbs up from the touch judge and the try was awarded. Rugby is a free flowing game and the play will only stop when somebody knocks the ball on or gives away a penalty. Chris Spencer drove through the Elland defence but was judged to have knocked on after crossing the line. The visitors had two tries disallowed, the first by Webster, who knocked the ball on when gathering and dotting down on the stroke of halftime. knock someone out 1Make a person unconscious, typically with a blow to the head. Example sentencesExamples So I took some medicine which knocked me out and I slept until 9am. He fell, knocked himself out and lay unconscious for hours. The only reason I could think of that she wouldn't answer me would be if she was injured or knocked out. I took my eye off the road and walked into a lampost, knocking myself out. The injured police officers mostly suffered broken bones while one was knocked out after being hit by a flying brick. Scottsdale went down next; a blow to his head knocked him out cold. The blows knocked me out and the last thing I remember was him screaming: ‘It's all your fault!’ The blow didn't knock her out, but she crashed to the floor and struggled for breath. He fell back through the air, slamming his head into the ground hard enough to knock himself out. She's on some mixture of antibiotics and cold medicine that knocks her out for hours at a time. Synonyms stun, strike unconscious, knock unconscious, render unconscious, knock senseless, stupefy, daze, lay out, floor, prostrate, level 1.1Knock down (a boxer) for a count of ten, thereby winning the contest. Example sentencesExamples Just for the record, I picked Frazier to knock Foreman out in 1973. In a fight similar to Frazier's destruction of Bob Foster, Tyson knocked Spinks out in the first round. In 1959, London had been knocked out in 11 rounds by Patterson in Indianapolis. I have not a doubt that had Foreman and Tyson fought anytime between 1990 and 1997 that Foreman would have knocked Tyson out inside of three rounds. Remember, Holyfield predicted that he would knock Lewis out in the third round. 1.2informal Work so hard that one is exhausted. Example sentencesExamples Other times I knock myself out trying too hard to be nice to people. I can see I'm unlikely to get all the paintings done I'd hoped to, unless I really knock myself out. If knocking myself out to achieve success will bring me that kind of happiness, forget it! It's a truism that career ladders are based on the traditional male life plan - he knocks himself out in his 20s and 30s while his wife raises the kids, mends his socks and types his papers. Our sales reps are constantly out there training and supporting retailers, doing store openings and just knocking themselves out to help dealers. Still, compared to important experiences like meeting my husband and having my kids, having lots of money doesn't seem to be an experience worth knocking yourself out for. After a long, discouraging period, she asked a friend, ‘What am I knocking myself out for with guys?’ We get paid the same money without knocking ourselves out. Synonyms work hard, labour, work one's fingers to the bone, work like a trojan, work like a dog, work day and night, exert oneself, keep at it, keep one's nose to the grindstone, grind away, slave away, grub away, plough away, plod away exhaust, wear out, tire out, overtire, overtax, tire, fatigue, weary, enervate, drain, sap, debilitate, enfeeble, prostrate 1.3informal Astonish or greatly impress someone. Example sentencesExamples ‘I am knocked out by it - really stunned,’ said Josephine, whose award marks Adult Learners Week in the Eastern region. This is the kind of movie that knocks you out with the buildings alone. At that gig, they just blew me away, just knocked me out. And having guys who give me that, and bring me lovely presents… Well, it just really knocks me out sometimes. You know, in his novel The Fourth Hand, Irving does something so great, it just knocked me out. The Corolla had already knocked me out with its exquisite style and luxury, its perfectly pitched sense of fun, its innovative design. The Hollywood Reporter stated that ‘this movie knocks you out with an astonishing blend of hyper-realism, visual complexity and powerful themes’. Synonyms overwhelm, overpower, stun, stupefy, amaze, astound, astonish, stagger, take someone's breath away, leave someone open-mouthed, dumbfound, confound, take aback 2Defeat a competitor in a knockout competition. England had been knocked out of the World Cup Example sentencesExamples The team took the opposition down to the wire and were knocked out in a dramatic penalty shoot out. A record six Premiership sides were knocked out of the FA Cup by lower league opposition yesterday. When Brazil were knocked out of the Olympic Games quarter-finals in Sydney two years ago, public opinion demanded the politicians investigate. Julian Joachim scored twice as Boston knocked Swindon out of the cup at York Street with a 4-1 victory. Andre Agassi was knocked out of the French Open in the second round. Even though he's Scottish, he was genuinely gutted when England were knocked out of Euro 2000. Porto took advantage of a bad offside decision and a horrendous goalkeeping error to knock Manchester United out of the Champions League. The tie also gives Liverpool a chance for revenge as they were knocked out of the competition by the Germans on a 4-3 aggregate at the quarter-final stage in 2002. Inside the pub at Cambridge Circus, the final whistle blew as Arsenal knocked United out of the FA Cup. Last Thursday, Newcastle were knocked out of the UEFA Cup. Synonyms eliminate knock something out 1Destroy, damage, or disable a machine or piece of equipment. the fault disabled two backup systems and knocked out the computer Example sentencesExamples The earthquake also knocked out power lines on the island. In 1989 a solar flare that hit the Earth directly actually knocked out a whole power grid in Quebec. Water and sewage lines were heavily damaged and electricity in the area was knocked out after the main transformer was hit. The explosion damaged the right engine and flight controls, knocking out both hydraulic systems. Tragically, the hit knocked out power and radio contact with the three escort ships. The explosion had knocked out his ship's engines and sent him on an uncontrollable spin. A bolt of lightning hit the plane, knocking out the engine. The guerrillas sabotaged a dam producing a third of the country's electricity, knocking out power in the nation's capital. Lightning caused chaos in York today, striking two houses and knocking out rail signalling equipment to bring trains to a halt. Telephone services have been knocked out in several parts of the capital. On Prince Edward Island, the storm knocked out power and sank boats at the Charlottetown yacht club. 2Produce work at a steady fast rate. if you knock out a thousand words a day you'll soon have finished Example sentencesExamples They have been knocking out folk classics since 1975 and have performed in a variety of clubs across the county. It was taking me about 3-4 weeks a month to write each script, and she told me how very foolish this was, when I could have knocked them out and been making real money. They became the country version of The Rat Pack, getting into trouble together and knocking out hit after hit. 3Empty a tobacco pipe by tapping it against a surface. 4Earn a specified sum of money. knock someone over (especially of a vehicle) strike or collide with someone so as to cause them to fall to the ground. a boy on a bike knocked him over and broke his glasses knock something over Rob a shop or similar establishment. Example sentencesExamples If I'd knocked over a liquor store that day instead of accepting John's offer, I'd have been out of prison and off parole long before now. First they're nicking comic books, then knocking off whole banks! If their children develop behavioral disorders at school, drop out, turn to drugs and begin knocking off 7-Elevensthey won't be surprised. knock someone sideways Astonish someone. Example sentencesExamples Every now and then, something came up which would completely knock you sideways. When they performed this on TOTP, I was knocked sideways. But Preston were knocked sideways by the shock of seeing their impregnable lead suddenly wiped out. That said, most of what he plays washes over me these days - but once in a while, something comes along and knocks you sideways. The sheer wealth and size and richness of America knocked me sideways. Synonyms overwhelm, overpower, stun, stupefy, amaze, astound, astonish, stagger, take someone's breath away, leave someone open-mouthed, dumbfound, confound, take aback knock something together Assemble something in a hasty and makeshift way. Example sentencesExamples He's knocking some tracks together and trying to get an album together at the moment. I've knocked together a little Perl script. Well, they did manage to knock together a business plan and get a grant from Inverness Enterprise. He responded that as the questions were largely what might pop into the head of whoever knocked the survey together, one should perhaps not read too much into them. First-aid and tool kits were knocked together from bits and pieces, and numerous repairs and modifications made the boat safer and diving from her easier. He picks up a 3 - D model which looks like something a Blue Peter presenter might have knocked together out of chicken wire, and peers at me through it. You can't just knock these things together in a couple of hours. I knocked a nice dinner together - thick-cut ham, bubble & squeak, tomato salad and baked beans, followed by a pot of black cherry yoghurt - and enjoyed it greatly. One evening we arrived at his home and found his wife had not returned from a meeting so I knocked together a salad for us from the contents of their fridge. It would take him no time at all to knock together a chicken coop and it's not like they don't have enough room for it. knock up (in a racket game) practise before formal play begins. Example sentencesExamples The idea came when they were knocking up one day last June on the grass courts at Roehampton. The players are on court and are knocking up. She knocks up with England's seventh seed Elena Baltacha and recently had the chance to play doubles with British number one Tim Henman when he visited the sports centre. Synonyms warm up, practise, have a practice game, hit a ball around knock someone up 1Wake or attract the attention of someone by knocking at their door. Example sentencesExamples I'll knock you up at five to seven and I'd like you downstairs for breakfast at seven sharp. One Lib Dem peer was pounding the pavements all day, knocking up voters. Some were formal duties, such as inspecting weights and measures or inspecting bridges, others were informal, such as knocking people up early in the morning for work. Eventually, after having no luck at all with the key, I had to go next door and knock them up. Synonyms wake, wake up, waken, awaken, call, rouse, arouse, get out of bed, get up 2Make a woman pregnant. Synonyms make pregnant, impregnate, inseminate knock something up 1Make something in a hurry. Example sentencesExamples OK the bar man didn't know what a Singapore Sling was but he still managed to improvise and knock something up for us. I don't think I have ever seen a film shot entirely with a hand-held camera that didn't feel as if it had been knocked up over the weekend for 300 quid. Britain's top food writer knocks up a quick cassoulet, plus dishes for vegetarians So anyway I texted this bird called Blánaid and asked her would she like, write something and she's like, ‘Sure, no problem, I'll knock something up for you.’ I'll knock something up about Solaris if you want; it's all I've seen of Tarkovsky so far, but it's marvellous. Top site of the day has to be the license plate maker over at acme.com, which knocks up American car license plates (hence the spelling) from any state and any year, with whatever you want them to say. Bea's supreme of chicken with wild mushroom risotto was, she declared, something she could have knocked up in 10 minutes at home. From time to time Harry might benefit from knocking up simple but wholesome meals based on fresh produce such as organic meat or fish with some fresh vegetables. While chatting with me, Kumar knocked up a delicious meal for six in my less than state-of-the-art kitchen. Synonyms make quickly, put together quickly, prepare hastily, build rapidly, whip up, rig up, jerry-build, throw together, cobble together, improvise, devise, contrive 2Cricket Score runs rapidly. Example sentencesExamples In first class games, Harvey has knocked up 5,745 runs with nine centuries and 32 half-centuries and has captured 332 wickets. He is certainly capable of knocking up two or three centuries and that will do Yorkshire and himself a power of good. Durham are proving to be this summer's surprise package and there was no doubting their superiority as they bowled out Yorkshire for 205 after knocking up 256 for four. Waugh hit six fours and one six in his innings, knocking up his 38th test half-century in the process. The former Nottinghamshire player took three for 60 off 18 overs as Mirfield knocked up 194. Synonyms achieve, attain, accomplish, gain, win, succeed in making, reach, make, get, obtain Origin Old English cnocian, of imitative origin. The origin of this word is probably an attempt to imitate the sound. When you decide to finish an idea or plan you may say that you are going to knock it on the head, a phrase well established in English by the late 16th century. To knock spots off someone is to outdo them easily. The expression probably comes from the world of competitive shooting. Contestants keen to show off their skilled marksmanship would be required to shoot out the pips or spots on a playing card. The winner would be the person who shot out the most pips—and who might then be described as having ‘knocked spots off’ their rivals. The sense ‘speak disparagingly about’ is recorded from the late 19th century in US usage. Rhymes ad hoc, amok, Bangkok, baroque, belle époque, bloc, block, bock, brock, chock, chock-a-block, clock, doc, dock, floc, flock, frock, hock, hough, interlock, jock, langue d'oc, lock, Locke, Médoc, mock, nock, o'clock, pock, post hoc, roc, rock, schlock, shock, smock, sock, Spock, stock, wok, yapok verb.1 phr. phr.v. Definition of knock in US English: knock verbnäknɑk 1no object Strike a surface noisily to attract attention, especially when waiting to be let in through a door. I knocked on the kitchen door Example sentencesExamples Motorists who somehow believe fines will go away if they are ignored will regret their action when bailiffs come knocking at the door. There was no noise from inside, so she knocked loudly. ‘Next time knock before you come in’ I muttered, my face still beet red as I dried the plates. The Slovenian driver was asleep in his cab when he was woken by a man knocking on the window. A drunk guy had spilled his drink on me and I wanted to wash my shirt so I barged in without knocking. Cameron knocked twice, and the unfamiliar face of Jason Phillips appeared behind a large oak door. Competitors from the Asian neighborhood are already knocking at Korea's door. I sort of blinked, decided I was dreaming again - I often dream there's someone ringing or knocking at the door - and drifted back to sleep. He first learned that a newspaper was on to him when his former mistress interrupted a dinner with a colleague to tell him the News Of The World had been knocking at her door. When they approached and knocked on the bathroom door, they heard scuffling and the toilet flushing. Her thoughts were interrupted when she heard Steve softly knock at the door before he came in. Tash was ready and waiting when David knocked at her door and ushered her into a waiting taxi. He knocked gently on the door, drawing the attention of every person in the room. Elena knocked, straightening her suit coat, smoothing her hair. Amy and I waited until I got sick and tired of waiting, and knocked lightly on the window. She went to Mark's apartment and knocked on the door. I had just flatly refused to talk to anybody for a few days but Beverly came knocking at my door. Jim hung his coat on a peg in the waiting area and walked over to the door, knocking quietly as he opened it. After a moment, he knocked louder, trying to compete with the noise. He knocked lightly at the door but there was no answer. He knocks loudly at the door, and it swings open with a ponderous creak. Synonyms bang, tap, rap, thump, pound, hammer 1.1 Strike or thump together or against something. my knees were knocking and my lips quivering Example sentencesExamples The pots and pans that dangled from her pack made a clanging noise, as they knocked together. Heart still knocking against her ribs, she strode anxiously to the front door, rising up slightly on her feet to peer through the hole. When these cattle move side by side in the herd, their hollow horns knock together, producing a characteristic resonant sound. My heart was knocking against my ribs so hard I could hardly breathe, much less speak. Not a leaf stirred; we could only hear our hearts beat wildly, knocking against our ribs like a trapped bird. When I first met Madonna I was star-struck and my knees were knocking together because I was so nervous. In fact, she could almost feel her knees knocking together. Her body wouldn't stop trembling, her knees knocked together. Gavin reached down to it the same time she did and their heads knocked together. My heart was knocking against my chest. Her legs were numb and her knees knocked together as she stumbled on the uneven ground. Before he could strike, however, the man collided with him from the side, their foreheads knocking together with a loud crack. His teeth were rattling in head, his legs had turned to jelly and his knees were knocking together like castanets. With the right body language, no one will even know your knees are knocking. My knees were actually knocking when I left your studio after telling that story. She tried to stand but decided her knees would knock together, so she sat back down. Vibrations shot up her arm from the shock of the two steel blades knocking together. Only his fast thinking kept their heads from knocking together. 1.2 (of a motor or other engine) make a regular thumping or rattling noise because of improper ignition. Example sentencesExamples The only time you should consider using a higher-octane gas is if your engine starts to knock or ping. While driving your car, you can also listen to the engine: if you hear knocking, it's a good sign that you have trouble. This premature ignition (called knocking or pinging) lowers the power output and can damage the engine. 2with object Collide with (someone or something), giving them a hard blow. he deliberately ran into her, knocking her shoulder no object he knocked into an elderly man Example sentencesExamples The window suddenly swung open inside, the frame knocking him hard on the chin and sending him sprawling on his back. As she stepped forward a couple of younger boys came pounding down the sidewalk and both knocked into her, sending her falling backwards towards the street. Most of that evening was pretty much a blur, except I do remember when Adam knocked my elbow by mistake and made me spill a drink all over myself. About five of the guys sneered at me while the others ‘accidentally’ knocked into my side. You might accidentally knock heads with your partner. Synonyms collide with, bump into, bang into, knock against, hit, strike, be in collision with, run into, crash into, smash into, plough into, slam into, dash against, ram, jolt 2.1 Force to move or fall with a deliberate or accidental blow or collision. he'd knocked over a glass of water Example sentencesExamples A new youth shelter being built in Hutton recreation area has been knocked down by vandals even before it is completed. I squeaked in surprise, flinging my hand sideways and knocking half a dozen books off the shelf. A cyclist was knocked off his bike on Brook Hill a couple of weeks ago. An elderly man is critically ill in hospital after being knocked down when a teenager ran across a road and jumped into the middle of a bus queue. Two lamps had been knocked over and broken glass covered the floor. I stood up quickly, knocking my chair over in the process. On the east coast, television pictures showed bricks and tiles had been knocked from some buildings, but there were no indications of serious damage. As she was reaching across the table, she accidentally knocked over her glass of Coke. Neighbours were beaten back by flames after knocking down the front door. A woman was left lying injured after being knocked down by a child riding an off-road motorbike on the pavement. He was hit from behind and knocked to the ground. He was knocked unconscious and robbed in a vicious attack near Trowbridge Park. There are fears the 92-year-old building could be knocked down to make way for a housing scheme. The storm knocked down trees and power lines in the area. He gasped as the wind was knocked out of his lungs. Suddenly something struck him hard, knocking him to one side. She took a step forward and was nearly knocked over by a large man rushing past her. The court heard Mr Smedley was knocked to the floor before his attackers kicked him twice in the stomach. Just as I approached the door, a whirlwind in the form of a small child shot out of the room, colliding with me and knocking me into the wall. Suddenly the boat shifted and moved, throwing her to her knees and almost knocking Wes into the water. 2.2 Injure or damage by striking. she knocked her knee painfully on the table figurative you have had a setback that has knocked your self-esteem Example sentencesExamples Ruth fell and knocked her head quite hard on the table. He knocked my forehead hard, which gave a great deal of pain. Being the only single person in your group can be isolating. You start to wonder why you haven't got a partner and this can knock your self-esteem. Tom jolted out of his dream, wincing as he knocked his elbow against the bedpost. I sat up quickly and promptly knocked my head on the overhang. I charged at him, but the boy knocked me hard in the ribs, throwing me back. I stumbled to my feet, knocking my knee against a corner of the table. Do comments like that spur you on to drive harder or do they knock your confidence? Synonyms bump, bang, hit, strike, crack 2.3 Make (a hole or a dent) in something by striking it forcefully. he suggests we knock a hole through the wall into the broom closet Example sentencesExamples Anywhere in the area of Amalfi or Ravello, 10 minutes in a taxi will knock a £20 hole in your pocket. In one case installation of the computer was delayed a day, and when the team arrived the next morning they found that a hole had been knocked through one of the walls already. Columbia broke into pieces during its return trip from space in 2003 because Nasa failed to spot that a hole had been knocked in its wing during launch. That's right: if your landlord complains that you're knocking holes in the walls, he or she is too strict. This is particularly clever for old buildings where knocking new holes through walls can be tricky. Ms Waterman says asbestos entered their flat through a hole which builders knocked in their wall. Thieves knocked a hole in the shop wall before making off with equipment valued at about £11,000. Sure, it's exhilarating to read a new and undiscovered book that knocks my socks off… I think… I'm not sure it's really happened. One rock knocked a four feet hole in a nearby wall and Mr Ayrton said some stones had been found three quarters of a mile away. Just down the walk, I found a hole knocked in a garden wall and a hundred bricks missing. 2.4 Demolish the barriers between (rooms or buildings) two of the downstairs rooms had been knocked into one Example sentencesExamples It's a bit of a Tardis - two townhouses knocked together, with a long gallery at the back where the garden used to be. To the right are two further rooms which could be knocked into one. It consists of the former Egyptian embassy and a one-time annexe to Russia's embassy knocked together. Lord Rogers does live in London - he has two Georgian terrace houses knocked together in Chelsea. She and her husband Derek live with their four children in Wapping, east London, in two former council flats knocked into one. Three Georgian townhouses were knocked together in the 1970s when Edinburgh's planning regulations were looser. It seemed a small house from the outside, but on entering they could see that it actually consisted of several houses knocked together around a small courtyard. Georgieva gestures around her office, which consists of two rooms knocked into one. The new facility, on Rectory Road, replaces the previous cramped and out-of-date building made up of four residential houses knocked together. The café looks as if it had been two rooms knocked into one. 3informal with object Talk disparagingly about; criticize. Example sentencesExamples I'm not knocking the company, but it's going to be too small for institutional investors. Critics knock the X3 for its austere interior, but most BMWs tend toward the spartan. He was raised to think he's the greatest by his parents, who wanted to instill a strong sense of self in him, so it's hard to knock him for his attitude. So stop knocking the town you live in and be proud of what we have and what has been achieved here. It is hard to knock a man with such charisma and unswerving comic timing, but anyone having had the pleasure of seeing him on stage before would have been disappointed at the lack of new material. We had a fair amount of possession and worked hard, I can't knock the commitment. It's hard to knock this decision in political terms, and it has a defensible legal rationale. That's because whenever they do, they never offer any praise, they will just jump straight in and start knocking what I've done. Synonyms criticize, find fault with, run down, disparage, belittle, depreciate, deprecate, detract from, give a bad press to, cast aspersions on, scoff at, deride, jeer at, carp at, cavil at nounnäknɑk 1A sudden short sound caused by a blow, especially on a door to attract attention or gain entry. Example sentencesExamples She was walking towards her bedroom when a knock sounded on the door. I jumped as a sharp knock sounded at my door. There was a loud, hard knock at the door. He heard another knock and the soft sound of a doorknob being turned. The sound of a knock at the door woke him from his reverie, and he walked quickly downstairs. As Willow was about to speak, a loud knock sounded on the door. A sharp knock sounded at the door, interrupting their conversation. She was gazing into the mirror, not really paying attention to the task at hand when a knock sounded at the door. About two minutes later, there was a short knock at the cabin door. He opened his mouth to speak but was interrupted by a sudden knock at the door. He smiled and leaned down to kiss her, frowning as a sudden knock sounded on the door. Justin heard loud knocks coming from the front door. He nearly jumped out of his skin when the knock sounded at the door. There was another knock, this time louder, then the sound of the door opening. She must have dozed off, because the sound of a knock at the door made her nearly jump a foot in the air. There was no reply, just another knock, louder than the first. All of a sudden there was a knock at the front door. There was a sudden knock at the door, the noise seemingly unnatural and loud in the silence that I had gotten accustomed to in the past half-hour. At half-past six on the dot, a knock sounded on the door. It was already very late into the night and Rosalind was beginning to doze off in her chair by the window when a sudden knock at the door startled her out of sleep. Synonyms tap, rap, rat-tat, rat-tat-tat, knocking, bang, banging, beating, pounding, hammering, drumming, thump, thud 1.1 A continual thumping or rattling sound made by an engine because of improper ignition. Example sentencesExamples In the 1920s, lead was added to petrol, and this addition allowed vehicles to reach higher speeds without engine knock. This is used to determine when to adjust ignition timing to control knock. - CAS Lucas oil Octane Booster eliminates spark knocks, pinging, and dieseling while promoting clean fuel burn for fewer emissions and better mileage. When added to gasoline in minute amounts, tetraethyl lead prevents engine knock and increases the gasoline's octane rating. Petrol fuels contain a host of additives to enhance octane rating, lower engine knock and counteract water. Synonyms tap, rap, rat-tat, rat-tat-tat, knocking, bang, banging, beating, pounding, hammering, drumming, thump, thud 2A blow or collision. the casing is tough enough to withstand knocks Example sentencesExamples Of course with football being a very physical game there were always plenty of knocks to be taken, some leading to injuries and lay-offs. Jonathan Smith is expected to undergo a fitness test after sustaining a knock to his knee on Sunday. The front wings are plastic and can withstand 15 km/h knocks without damage which reduces repairs. Bumps and knocks to the head are quite common, particularly among children. He suffered a bad knock on the head in the second half. Gashes and knocks that would put a professional footballer out of action for weeks tend to be shrugged off. At no stage during the match could he recall having sustained a knock to his head. One swift knock to the head knocked the guy out, and we left. While the shell does protect the phone's internal components from everyday knocks and bumps, it is not waterproof, merely water resistant. The bumps, jarring and knocks can damage the helmet. Head guards and helmets protect the skull and the brain from injuries caused by knocks to the head during sports and greatly reduce the risk of serious head injuries. No matter how well you drive, with such tight racing and constant jostling for places it is inevitable that you will incur a few bumps and knocks along the way. A player just took a hard knock to the head and is lying on the field. This time his injury was as a result of an accidental knock to his head as he was laying on a tackle. He bent over a little and rubbed his head, it was already throbbing from before so another knock didn't make him feel any better. Since one wall was completely knocked down two weeks ago, two more knocks have left the other cracked and weakened. The Rams' only other injury worry is over Chris Clarke, who took a knock to a leg during the game at Flixton. At present, an estimated three million people in the UK suffer from the condition, which weakens the skeleton so that a simple knock can snap a bone. As the blood supply for the scalp is so good, any knock received tends to bleed profusely resulting in blood everywhere and bruising as a result. Chelsea could be without William Gallas, who suffered a knock against Villa. Synonyms bump, blow, bang, striking, beating, jolt, jar, jarring, shock blow, bang, stroke, hit, slap, smack, crack, buffet, punch, cuff, thump, box 2.1 A discouraging experience; a setback. the region's industries have taken a severe knock Example sentencesExamples He seems like the kind of guy who has lived life and taken a few hard knocks along the way. We're big enough to take the knocks when they're due, but is it so unthinkable sometimes to recognise and celebrate success? The party has taken greater knocks in its history than this minor set-back. I've suffered a lot of knocks over the years, but I've survived them. There are enough hard knocks and challenges in life without us deliberately providing them for each other. As the weeks passed, it became ever harder to make ends meet and a £140 servicing for Vivienne's car was a severe knock. After the knock suffered by the industry last year because of the Foot and Mouth crisis, tourism operators were hoping for rather better luck this year. From Australia's point of view, having got so close and then losing was a big knock. Steeton saw their chance of promotion from Division One take a severe knock when they were beaten 2-1 at Ardsley Celtic. But this appeal has suffered two huge knocks of late. Scotland has become a harsher place and our image as a tolerant and open minded nation has taken a severe knock. In the past couple of years, profits at many companies have taken a severe knock. In a nutshell, I hadn't suffered the same hard knocks and had little chance of knowing what was really important in life. Hovingham's chances of lifting the divisional trophy took a knock when they suffered a shock defeat at Clifton Alliance. Synonyms setback, reversal, reverse of fortune, rebuff, rejection, defeat, failure, difficulty, misfortune, bad luck, stroke of bad luck, mishap, bad experience, blow, body blow, disaster, calamity, disappointment, grief, sorrow, trouble, hardship 3informal A critical comment. Synonyms criticism, disparagement, stricture, fault-finding, denigration, censure, reproach, reproval, condemnation, lambasting Phrases knock someone's block off informal Hit someone very hard in anger. Example sentencesExamples I get home from school a few days later and my mother is looking like she wants to knock my block off. The young man turned to look at me, and for a second there, I thought he was going to knock my block off. If I were that age - I'd knock his block off if I were his ‘so-called’ teammate. In fact, I scared one of them half to death when I walked through the door; she tried to knock my block off with a mop as she thought I was an intruder! I'd like to see it myself, except that someone would probably recognize me and try to knock my block off. He told Bellamy he would knock his block off if he ever set foot back in Newcastle. The first time we met I thought he was going to knock my block off because I'd called him Bart instead of Bartholomew. Synonyms strike, slap, smack, cuff, punch, beat, thrash, thump, batter, belabour, drub, hook, pound, smash, slam, welt, pummel, hammer, bang, knock, swat, whip, flog, cane, sucker-punch, rain blows on, give someone a beating, give someone a drubbing, give someone a good beating, give someone a good drubbing, box someone's ears knock someone dead informal Greatly impress someone. Example sentencesExamples I am 5ft 8in, size 8, and want to wear something that will knock him dead. He is so confident that his new energy drink will knock them dead in the market place that he is planning to take on the likes of Lucozade and Red Bull. I nodded and smiled faintly, ‘You're going to knock him dead tonight.’ We've got an answering machine gag that seems to knock them dead every time. She had put on dark red lipstick and was wearing a dress that was sure to knock Chris dead. ‘You're going to knock them dead,’ she stated firmly, ‘and you're more handsome than any of those actors.’ Mandy Siegfried proves herself a young comedienne who'll duly knock them dead from Mineola to Minnesota. Wear the pink strapless shirt in my second drawer - you'll knock him dead. Good luck for tonight: I'm sure you'll knock 'em dead! This album is trying too hard to be smooth and pleasing to the masses, meaning that Wright ends up crooning uninterestingly where she should be knocking us dead. Synonyms make an impression on, have an impact on, influence, affect, leave a mark on, move, stir, rouse, excite, inspire, galvanize knock someone into the middle of next week informal Hit someone very hard. knock it off informal Used to tell someone to stop doing something that one finds annoying or foolish. Example sentencesExamples If you're doing this as an attempt to Henry make break off his engagement with his fianceé, knock it off, because it ain't gonna happen! The couple who are renting the place next to mine spent the entire night fighting. They didn't knock it off until well past two in the morning. Danielle, knock it off. The overprotective mother role doesn't suit you. Synonyms stop it knock someone on the head Stun or kill someone by a blow to the head. Example sentencesExamples Trying to break up a fight between his girlfriend and another girl, he was knocked on the head and then stabbed. If you knocked someone on the head and stole their wallet you would be punished. The next thing he knew something hard had knocked him on the head and he had awakened with a throbbing headache and an ugly bruise. Before Mackenzie could react, she was knocked on the head. He was about to say something to her when the others realized it and knocked him on the head and dragged him away. Godfrey had predicted prior to his disappearance that he would be knocked on the head. the school of hard knocks Painful or difficult experiences that are seen to be useful in teaching someone about life. Example sentencesExamples ‘The first year was difficult, no doubt about it,’ admits this graduate from the school of hard knocks. Many respondents indicated that valuable learning was only possible via hands-on training in the school of hard knocks. It is quite an honor for a working writer (one who has learned the craft in the school of hard knocks, rather than in a writing program) to be asked to teach a class like this. Foolishly, I had decided to learn California's unique motorcycle laws and driving rules through the school of hard knocks. Unfortunately his father lost his fortune shortly thereafter, and Finlay instead received instruction from the school of hard knocks as he grew up amid grinding poverty in the Glasgow slums. So you again enter the catch - 22 situation, where you are either qualified but lacking in the experience department, or the wealth of experience you have gained in the school of hard knocks is wasted as you don't have the qualifications. But admissions departments should make the extra effort to look for signs of character traits, like persistence, imagination, and training in the school of hard knocks, that might be hidden in the numbers. I've learned the hard way at the school of hard knocks. They will very soon get the shock of their lives and learn some very painful lesson in the school of hard knocks. Being a person who bypassed college and enrolled directly in the school of hard knocks, I may not be the best source to ask about higher education. Synonyms the way of the world, the world, the way things go, the way of it, the human condition, the times we live in, the usual state of affairs, the school of hard knocks you could have knocked me (or her, him, etc.) down with a feather informal Used to express great surprise. Example sentencesExamples I felt sure it was something physical like a virus, so you could have knocked me down with a feather when he diagnosed depression. But when I read it, you could have knocked me down with a feather. Phrasal Verbs knock someone/something about (or around) Injure or damage someone or something by rough treatment. Example sentencesExamples By the time you reach your 30's, you've been knocked around a bit, but you've made some mistakes and learned a little more about yourself. Turbulence was knocking around our noisy little twin-prop plane like a beach ball in a hurricane. A week in Adelaide with her had knocked Mum around fairly badly on an emotional level. Violent men, who I'm told quite often want sex after they've knocked their wives about, no doubt also classify as frigid the women who don't regard a black eye as acceptable foreplay. Your father was knocked about by the Depression, as nearly every man was, I suppose. ‘They chased after me and started knocking me about,’ she said. AIt wasn't any secret by the end of the relationship that he had been knocking her about though nobody thought he would ever hurt the kids. People get stirred up and aggressive and go home and knock their family about. It's good to see that getting knocked around last Fall helped get his priorities straight. Being here made me realize what I was missing by being rough with you and knocking you around and flirting with other girls. Synonyms beat up, beat, batter, strike, hit, punch, thump, thrash, smack, slap, cuff, buffet, pummel, belabour knock something back Consume a drink quickly and entirely. we knocked back a few beers Example sentencesExamples Once again Hemingway mechanically picks up his glass, knocks it back in a single gulp, and slams it back down. We clinked glasses and I knocked my drink back, feeling the burn in my throat and the warmth in my stomach. The recommended way to enjoy soju or sake, the national drinks of South Korea and Japan, is by quickly knocking them back in short, small shots. Some bars sell highballs for as little as 75 cents, allowing some people to knock them back like there's no tomorrow. Four out of 10 men, it said, and two out of 10 women regularly knock back at least a bottle of wine in one session to land them in the binge-drinker category. Pandora settled down again and enjoyed the mood: everyone was chatting or drinking, mostly vodka, knocking it back like Perrier water. Vodka was limited mostly to the liquor cabinets of Eastern Europe until World War II, when Americans and the rest of Europe started knocking it back. True beer aficionados know damn well there's more to enjoying a good brew than just knocking it back with detached abandon - sip, gulp, belch. She poured herself a glass of wine and knocked it back and poured another, then turned to face him. Drinkers across the social spectrum are knocking it back like never before and the pressure to join in has never been stronger. Synonyms swallow, gulp down, drink up, swill down, swill, quaff, guzzle, toss off, consume, finish knock someone down (or over) (especially of a vehicle) strike or collide with someone so as to cause them to fall to the ground. Example sentencesExamples A child who was standing by the roadside with his mother also died after he was knocked down by one of the vehicles. The two boys jumped on him and knocked him down to the carpeted floor. My five-year-old daughter was nearly knocked down by a man driving a van and chatting on the phone. A villager managed to film the attack before he was knocked down, his camera smashed and his arm broken. The pedestrian went over the bonnet of a car after she was knocked down by a driver who had taken his friend's vehicle, the court was told. Synonyms fell, floor, flatten, bring down, prostrate, topple, knock to the ground, throw to the ground, rugby-tackle knock something down 1Demolish a building. Example sentencesExamples Why knock these amazing buildings down when they can be refurbished using some great modern architecture? If the developer purchases the land it is believed he will either use the garages for the new properties or will knock the buildings down to create garden space for more marketable homes. After discovering a serious crack in one of the gable walls, they decided instead to knock the house down and rebuild it. Only he failed to get planning permission and last week successfully fought a bid by the local council to knock it down. The three options for Greenroyd Avenue available to the council are to leave things as they are, partly demolish the street, or knock the whole lot down. Some people are buying bungalows on the seafront, knocking them down and building another property. A decision was taken to knock the old building down. Mr Overton's showroom and workshop, a former hairdressing salon and a garage will all be knocked down in the summer of 2006 should plans go forward. Unable to pay the £2.3m in repair costs or sell the near-ruin, he succeeded in getting planning permission from Perth and Kinross Council to knock the building down. They thought knocking the building down and replacing it with a new one would be a cheaper option. It followed reports that the premises might not be re-opened by the new owners as a meat slaughtering facility but would be knocked down and sold as a development site. Some of the former police houses have already been knocked down and work has begun on the demolition of the old custody area. The current owners, Ben Alder Estate, want to knock down the dilapidated building to construct workshops. He told the Institute of Chartered Accountants that it would cost far less to refurbish ‘characterful’ buildings than knock them down. Synonyms demolish, pull down, bring down, take down, tear down, destroy 1.1Take machinery or furniture to pieces for transportation. 2(at an auction) confirm the sale of an article to a bidder by a knock with a hammer. Example sentencesExamples On Sunday, November 3 a large crowd turned out as auctioneer Matt Dunne set to with the gavel to knock items down to the highest bidder. 2.1informal Reduce the price of an article. Example sentencesExamples When the salesman found out I was military, he started knocking the price down. Depreciation should have knocked the price down to just about zero. We frequently see cases whereby no bidders emerge, even when the price is knocked down to the reserve. Originally priced $35, it was knocked down to $30. On Apr. 14, IBM shocked the market by announcing disappointing earnings, which knocked its stock down 6%. Shipments of PalmSource-based devices dropped 13.3 per cent, knocking its share down from 22.5 per cent to 9.5 per cent. On the day of exchange they knocked the price down by £85,000. My colleague and two people at the next table bought one each so were able to knock the price down a little bit. The vandalism and burglaries in the area are knocking house prices down. Then he knocked the figure down by 30%. ‘I think a lot of my peers earn too much,’ he says. Synonyms reduce, lower, cut, decrease, bring down, drop, put down, diminish, mark down 3Earn a specified sum as a wage. knock off Stop work. Example sentencesExamples They worked on the project three or four afternoons a week, knocking off around five to drink beer and talk. The typical Australian working day starts in the sunshine at 8am, and shortly after everyone knocks off at 4pm, the parks will be full of men chucking a ball about until the sun goes down. Why can't they have patrols instead of knocking off from work early in the day. After a frantic week at work I am planning on knocking off a little early today. I think I'll knock off for the day and have a nice cup of coffee. Synonyms stop work, finish work, finish working, clock off, close shop, shut down, leave work, finish the working day knock someone off 1Kill someone. Example sentencesExamples In that film, McCormack is a devilish child who begins knocking off fellow classmates and even the family gardener when they dare to get in her way. The plot has a vengeful wife determined to knock off her philandering husband…, but the fellow proves strangely indestructible. In fact, I strongly suspect he's concocting a game of his own which involves knocking off family members one by one. They started robbing graves but found the demand for bodies outstripped supply so they started knocking off Edinburgh lowlifes who they reasoned would not be missed. Synonyms kill, murder, assassinate, do to death, do away with, make away with, get rid of, dispose of, eliminate, liquidate, terminate, finish off 2Have sexual intercourse with a woman. Synonyms have sexual intercourse, have sexual intercourse with, make love, make love to, sleep together, sleep with, go to bed together, go to bed with knock something off 1Produce a piece of work quickly and easily, especially to order. Example sentencesExamples The boys amble about swapping melodies whilst knocking off a string of sunshine West Coast pop hits with unerring ease. I've been up for an hour or so knocking off a couple of pieces two whole days before the deadline. Synonyms produce, make, turn out, create, construct, assemble, fashion, put together, fabricate 2Deduct an amount from a total. when the bill came, they knocked off $600 because of a little scratch Example sentencesExamples Opting for third-party insurance consistently knocks about a third off the cost of your premium. The very least they could do is knock a few pounds off our electricity bills, just as a gesture of good faith. Turn down your central heating: a one-degree adjustment on your thermostat could knock hundreds of pounds off your fuel bill. Most economists' models are built on what happened in the '70s, and they tell us basically that each $US 10 rise in the oil price knocks about 0.5 per cent off economic growth. The argument is that it will save the consumers on the their weekly shopping bill, knocking about 500 off the total annual grocery bill. A slightly more restrictive exhaust system knocks 5 hp off the engine's 220 hp output. The food was bad, though, and we sent it back and they knocked the charge off our bill. And don't forget to mention that immobilizer and alarm - they could each knock 10% off your quote. The government is now trying to persuade its largest creditors to knock some $4 billion off that figure. Economists have calculated that a $10 a barrel rise in oil prices knocks about 0.5 percentage points off world growth after 12 to 18 months. Synonyms deduct, take off, subtract, take away, dock, debit, remove 3Steal something. Example sentencesExamples She'd heard about all the trouble we'd been having with vandals and thieves knocking our gear off, so she said she would feel safer if the posters were inside. Synonyms steal, purloin, take, make off with, abscond with, pilfer, misappropriate 3.1Make an illegal copy of a product. Example sentencesExamples Oh, well, they'll probably sell a load of them at that price before some knocks it off for $5. knock someone out 1Make a person unconscious, typically with a blow to the head. Example sentencesExamples The blow didn't knock her out, but she crashed to the floor and struggled for breath. The only reason I could think of that she wouldn't answer me would be if she was injured or knocked out. He fell back through the air, slamming his head into the ground hard enough to knock himself out. Scottsdale went down next; a blow to his head knocked him out cold. The blows knocked me out and the last thing I remember was him screaming: ‘It's all your fault!’ So I took some medicine which knocked me out and I slept until 9am. He fell, knocked himself out and lay unconscious for hours. She's on some mixture of antibiotics and cold medicine that knocks her out for hours at a time. I took my eye off the road and walked into a lampost, knocking myself out. The injured police officers mostly suffered broken bones while one was knocked out after being hit by a flying brick. Synonyms stun, strike unconscious, knock unconscious, render unconscious, knock senseless, stupefy, daze, lay out, floor, prostrate, level 1.1Knock down (a boxer) for a count of ten, thereby winning the contest. Example sentencesExamples Just for the record, I picked Frazier to knock Foreman out in 1973. Remember, Holyfield predicted that he would knock Lewis out in the third round. In 1959, London had been knocked out in 11 rounds by Patterson in Indianapolis. In a fight similar to Frazier's destruction of Bob Foster, Tyson knocked Spinks out in the first round. I have not a doubt that had Foreman and Tyson fought anytime between 1990 and 1997 that Foreman would have knocked Tyson out inside of three rounds. 1.2informal Work so hard that one is exhausted. Example sentencesExamples We get paid the same money without knocking ourselves out. If knocking myself out to achieve success will bring me that kind of happiness, forget it! Still, compared to important experiences like meeting my husband and having my kids, having lots of money doesn't seem to be an experience worth knocking yourself out for. It's a truism that career ladders are based on the traditional male life plan - he knocks himself out in his 20s and 30s while his wife raises the kids, mends his socks and types his papers. Other times I knock myself out trying too hard to be nice to people. Our sales reps are constantly out there training and supporting retailers, doing store openings and just knocking themselves out to help dealers. I can see I'm unlikely to get all the paintings done I'd hoped to, unless I really knock myself out. After a long, discouraging period, she asked a friend, ‘What am I knocking myself out for with guys?’ Synonyms work hard, labour, work one's fingers to the bone, work like a trojan, work like a dog, work day and night, exert oneself, keep at it, keep one's nose to the grindstone, grind away, slave away, grub away, plough away, plod away 1.3informal Astonish or greatly impress someone. Example sentencesExamples This is the kind of movie that knocks you out with the buildings alone. And having guys who give me that, and bring me lovely presents… Well, it just really knocks me out sometimes. ‘I am knocked out by it - really stunned,’ said Josephine, whose award marks Adult Learners Week in the Eastern region. You know, in his novel The Fourth Hand, Irving does something so great, it just knocked me out. The Hollywood Reporter stated that ‘this movie knocks you out with an astonishing blend of hyper-realism, visual complexity and powerful themes’. At that gig, they just blew me away, just knocked me out. The Corolla had already knocked me out with its exquisite style and luxury, its perfectly pitched sense of fun, its innovative design. Synonyms overwhelm, overpower, stun, stupefy, amaze, astound, astonish, stagger, take someone's breath away, leave someone open-mouthed, dumbfound, confound, take aback knock something out 1Destroy a machine or damage it so that it stops working. Example sentencesExamples The earthquake also knocked out power lines on the island. Tragically, the hit knocked out power and radio contact with the three escort ships. Telephone services have been knocked out in several parts of the capital. The guerrillas sabotaged a dam producing a third of the country's electricity, knocking out power in the nation's capital. The explosion had knocked out his ship's engines and sent him on an uncontrollable spin. In 1989 a solar flare that hit the Earth directly actually knocked out a whole power grid in Quebec. The explosion damaged the right engine and flight controls, knocking out both hydraulic systems. Water and sewage lines were heavily damaged and electricity in the area was knocked out after the main transformer was hit. A bolt of lightning hit the plane, knocking out the engine. On Prince Edward Island, the storm knocked out power and sank boats at the Charlottetown yacht club. Lightning caused chaos in York today, striking two houses and knocking out rail signalling equipment to bring trains to a halt. 1.1Destroy or disable enemy installations or equipment. Example sentencesExamples His only option was to chase the enemy ships, and knock them out while they were still running. 2Produce work at a steady fast rate. if you knock out a thousand words a day you'll soon have it finished Example sentencesExamples They have been knocking out folk classics since 1975 and have performed in a variety of clubs across the county. They became the country version of The Rat Pack, getting into trouble together and knocking out hit after hit. It was taking me about 3-4 weeks a month to write each script, and she told me how very foolish this was, when I could have knocked them out and been making real money. 3Empty a tobacco pipe by tapping it against a surface. knock someone over (especially of a vehicle) strike or collide with someone so as to cause them to fall to the ground. a boy on a bike knocked him over and broke his glasses knock something over Rob a store or similar establishment. they knocked over a liquor store Example sentencesExamples If their children develop behavioral disorders at school, drop out, turn to drugs and begin knocking off 7-Elevensthey won't be surprised. First they're nicking comic books, then knocking off whole banks! If I'd knocked over a liquor store that day instead of accepting John's offer, I'd have been out of prison and off parole long before now. knock someone sideways Astonish someone. Example sentencesExamples The sheer wealth and size and richness of America knocked me sideways. When they performed this on TOTP, I was knocked sideways. Every now and then, something came up which would completely knock you sideways. But Preston were knocked sideways by the shock of seeing their impregnable lead suddenly wiped out. That said, most of what he plays washes over me these days - but once in a while, something comes along and knocks you sideways. Synonyms overwhelm, overpower, stun, stupefy, amaze, astound, astonish, stagger, take someone's breath away, leave someone open-mouthed, dumbfound, confound, take aback knock something together Assemble something in a hasty and makeshift way. Example sentencesExamples You can't just knock these things together in a couple of hours. Well, they did manage to knock together a business plan and get a grant from Inverness Enterprise. It would take him no time at all to knock together a chicken coop and it's not like they don't have enough room for it. He's knocking some tracks together and trying to get an album together at the moment. One evening we arrived at his home and found his wife had not returned from a meeting so I knocked together a salad for us from the contents of their fridge. First-aid and tool kits were knocked together from bits and pieces, and numerous repairs and modifications made the boat safer and diving from her easier. He responded that as the questions were largely what might pop into the head of whoever knocked the survey together, one should perhaps not read too much into them. I knocked a nice dinner together - thick-cut ham, bubble & squeak, tomato salad and baked beans, followed by a pot of black cherry yoghurt - and enjoyed it greatly. He picks up a 3 - D model which looks like something a Blue Peter presenter might have knocked together out of chicken wire, and peers at me through it. I've knocked together a little Perl script. knock someone up 1Make a woman pregnant. Synonyms make pregnant, impregnate, inseminate 2Knock at someone's door. Example sentencesExamples Eventually, after having no luck at all with the key, I had to go next door and knock them up. I'll knock you up at five to seven and I'd like you downstairs for breakfast at seven sharp. One Lib Dem peer was pounding the pavements all day, knocking up voters. Some were formal duties, such as inspecting weights and measures or inspecting bridges, others were informal, such as knocking people up early in the morning for work. Synonyms wake, wake up, waken, awaken, call, rouse, arouse, get out of bed, get up knock around (or about) 1Travel without a specific purpose. for a couple of years she and I knocked around the Mediterranean Example sentencesExamples I've been trying to keep busy over the last few days as knocking around the house in the middle of the week, when my wife is at work and Zachery is at school is a strangely hollow experience. As every day is different, I think about where I'm going and dress accordingly, but I'm at my happiest knocking about in grungy old gardening things. Weiss has been knocking around L.A. for decades, to the point that he's now considered a fixture on the scene. His years knocking around what was then known as the Far East as a freelance writer and journalist had given him an encyclopaedic knowledge of tropical conditions. I should point out that despite several years of Spanish and some time knocking around in Germany, I'm a hopeless monoglot. I highly recommend it if you're knocking around Cornwall and have a spare day out. Synonyms wander, roam, rove, range, travel, travel idly, journey, voyage, globetrot, drift, coast, meander, gad about, gallivant, jaunt, take a trip, go on a trip 1.1Happen to be present. it gets confusing when there are too many people knocking about Example sentencesExamples I conjectured on the basis of their compilation appearances that the band had been knocking about for a while, and they may very well have been, but this new single is actually their debut release. Suddenly songs that had been knocking around in his head for more than a decade were finding new life. Unlike some convertible models that were knocking around a decade or so ago, the one big difference drivers of the new 3 - Series should notice is its stability. There are loads of interesting foreigners knocking about. You've got the Trafford Centre and the Arndale Centre, of course, which are fairly well known, but then there's all sorts of smaller places knocking around. There's a huge amount of real evidence knocking around that's being ignored by the media. Although I think I've fixed everything on the front page of the site, there will inevitably be a few broken links knocking around the place. Mind you, I don't have £130 or so knocking around, so it's a bit academic. The issue has been knocking around for years, but it came to a head in 2000. Our arts editor tells me she has a few CDs knocking about that I might want to listen to - so I go and take a look. 1.2British Spend time with someone. she knocked around with artists Example sentencesExamples Sometimes Robert's friend, 13-year-old Heather, would knock around with them. He spent several years working the circuit before heading out to Nashville where he knocked around with the up-and-coming country stars. I started knocking about with three people from the village. ‘When I was about 12 I started knocking around with boys from school - just kissing and touching at first,’ she said. He has knocked around with Cuban revolutionaries and Chilean novelists, New York jazz musicians and San Francisco bohemians, in the global intellectual village that stretches from Lima to Mysore. Des remembers fondly some of the expressions he learnt from mates he used to knock around with. He's a nice lad, so are the pals he knocks around with, so I just can't imagine why anyone would do this. They were the type of blokes that my mother dreaded I would end up knocking about with, the type who always had run-ins with the police. I'm still friends with the same crowd of people I've knocked about with since I was 17. The 15-year-old cousin he knocked around with in Redfern had been kicked out of their family's home town of Walgett as a public nuisance Synonyms associate, consort, keep company, go around, mix, socialize, have dealings, have to do with, accompany, escort Origin Old English cnocian, of imitative origin. verb.1 phr. phr.v.
随便看	have got have (got) a good head on one's shoulders have got a good head on one's shoulders have (got) a good head on one's shoulders have got a good head on shoulders have (got) another think coming have got another think coming have (got) another think coming have got back have got it bad have got it badly have got it bad (or badly) have got it bad (or badly) have (got) it in for have got it in for have (got) it in for have got it in one to do have (got) it in one (to do something) have got it in one to do something have (got) it in one (to do something) have got it in one to do sth have (got) it made have got it made have (got) it made have (got) no idea