knock
(nŏk)v. knocked, knock·ing, knocks
v.tr.1. To strike with a hard blow: knocked him on the head.
2. To affect in a specified way by striking hard: knocked the mugger senseless.
3. To cause to be displaced or unengaged; force: a wind that knocked the tower over; a blunder that knocked him out of the job.
4. To cause to collide: I knocked my head on a low beam.
5. To produce by hitting or striking: knocked a hole in the wall.
6. Informal To find fault with; criticize: Don't knock the food; it's free.
v.intr.1. To strike a sharp audible blow or series of blows, as on a door.
2. To collide with something: knocked into the table.
3. To make a pounding or clanking noise: The car engine is knocking.
n.1. An instance of striking or colliding.
2. The sound of a sharp blow on a hard surface.
3. A pounding or clanking noise made by an engine, often as a result of faulty fuel combustion. Also called ping.
4. Slang A cutting, often petty criticism.
Phrasal Verbs: knock around (or about) Informal 1. To be rough or brutal with; maltreat.
2. To wander from place to place: knocking around Europe.
3. To discuss or consider: met to knock around some ideas.
knock back Informal To gulp (an alcoholic drink).
knock down1. To bring to the ground with a blow or other forceful action; topple.
2. To disassemble into parts, as for storage or shipping.
3. To declare sold at an auction, as by striking a blow with a gavel.
4. To reduce in amount or intensity: a retailer who knocked down the price by 20 percent; firefighters who knocked down the fire enough to search the house.
5. Slang To receive as wages; earn: knocks down $50 an hour.
knock off1. Informal a. To take a break or rest from; stop: knocked off work at noon.
b. To cease work: It's after five; let's knock off.
2. Informal To complete, accomplish, or dispose of hastily or easily; finish: That author knocks off a book a year.
3. Informal To get rid of; eliminate: knocked off 12 pounds in a month.
4. Slang To kill or overcome.
5. Slang To hold up or rob: knocked off a bank.
6. Informal To copy or imitate, especially without permission: knocking off someone else's ideas.
knock out1. To render unconscious.
2. Sports To defeat (a boxing opponent) by a knockout.
3. To render useless or inoperative: The storm knocked out the phones.
4. Informal To excite or overwhelm, especially by being sexually attractive.
5. Informal To exert or exhaust (oneself or another) to the utmost: knocked herself out to be ready on time.
6. Informal To produce in abundance: The workers knocked out 500 parts in one hour.
7. To inactivate (a gene or genes) by genetic manipulation so that the resulting phenotypic effects can be observed.
knock together To make or assemble quickly or carelessly.
knock up1. Derogatory Slang To make pregnant.
2. Chiefly British To wake up or summon, as by knocking at the door.
3. Chiefly British To wear out; exhaust.
Idioms: have it knocked Slang To be certain of success: "He knew he had it knocked after he saw a rough cut of Chinatown" (Time).
knock cold To render unconscious; knock out.
knock dead1. To kill with a blow.
2. Slang To affect strongly and positively: a performance that knocked the audience dead.
knock it off Slang To stop doing something. Often used in the imperative: He asked us to knock it off.
knock out of the box Baseball To force the removal of (an opposing pitcher) by heavy hitting.
knock (someone's) socks off Slang To overwhelm or amaze.
knock some sense into Slang To beat or hit (someone) in an effort to teach a lesson or cause a person to adopt an acceptable pattern of behavior.
[Middle English knokken, from Old English cnocian.]
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
knock
(nɒk) vb1. (tr) to give a blow or push to; strike
2. (intr) to rap sharply with the knuckles, a hard object, etc, esp to capture attention: to knock at the door.
3. (tr) to make or force by striking: to knock a hole in the wall.
4. (usually foll by: against) to collide (with)
5. (tr) to bring into a certain condition by hitting or pushing: to knock someone unconscious.
6. (tr) informal to criticize adversely; belittle: to knock someone's work.
7. (Automotive Engineering) (intr) Also: pink (of an internal-combustion engine) to emit a characteristic metallic noise as a result of faulty combustion
8. (Automotive Engineering) (intr) (of a bearing, esp one in an engine) to emit a regular characteristic sound as a result of wear
9. slang Brit to have sexual intercourse with (a person)
10. knock a person into the middle of next week informal to hit a person with a very heavy blow
11. knock one's head against to have a violent or unpleasant encounter with (adverse facts or circumstances)
12. knock on the head a. to daze or kill (a person) by striking on the head
b. to prevent the further development of (a plan)
n13. a. a blow, push, or rap: he gave the table a knock.
b. the sound so caused
14. (Automotive Engineering) the sound of knocking in an engine or bearing
15. informal a misfortune, rebuff, or setback
16. informal unfavourable criticism
17. (Cricket) informal (in cricket) an innings or a spell of batting
[Old English cnocian, of imitative origin; related to Old Norse knoka to hit]
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014
knock
(nɒk)
v.i. 1. to strike a sounding blow, as in seeking admittance, calling attention, or giving a signal.
2. to strike in collision; bump: to knock into a table.
3. to make a pounding noise: The car's engine is knocking badly.
4. Informal. to find fault.
5. to end a card game, as in gin rummy, by laying down a hand in which those cards not included in sets total less than a specific amount.
v.t. 6. to give a sounding or forcible blow to; hit; strike; beat.
7. to drive, force, or render by striking: to knock a man senseless.
8. to make by striking a blow or blows: to knock a hole in the wall.
9. to strike (a thing) against something else.
10. Informal. to criticize, esp. in a carping manner.
11. knock around or
about, a. to wander, esp. living briefly in one place after another.
b. to mistreat; manhandle.
12. knock back, Slang. to drink (a beverage), esp. quickly and heartily.
13. knock down, a. to cause to fall by striking.
b. to dismantle for ease of handling.
c. to lower the price of.
d. to sell at auction, as through a blow of the auctioneer's hammer.
14. knock off, a. to cease an activity, esp. the day's work.
b. to cease (work).
c. Informal. to do, produce, or dispose of quickly, hurriedly, or with ease: to knock off a couple of stories in a day.
d. Slang. to murder.
e. to reduce a price by the amount of.
f. Slang. to disable or defeat.
g. Slang. to rob; burglarize.
h. to copy or plagiarize.
15. knock out, a. to defeat (an opponent) in a boxing match by striking such a blow that the opponent is unable to rise within the specified time.
b. to make unconscious.
c. to make tired or exhausted.
d. Informal. to produce quickly; knock off.
e. to damage or destroy: to knock out the power lines.
f. Slang. to impress greatly; overwhelm with amazed delight.
16. knock over, a. to strike (someone or something) from an erect to a prone position.
b. to distress; overcome.
c. Slang. to rob, burglarize, or hijack.
17. knock together, to make or construct in a hurry or with little attention to detail.
18. knock up, a. Slang. to make pregnant.
b. to exhaust; weary; tire.
c. Brit. to wake up; rouse.
n. 19. an act or instance of knocking.
20. the sound of knocking, esp. a rap, as at a door.
21. a blow or thump.
22. Informal. an adverse criticism.
23. the noise resulting from faulty combustion or incorrect functioning within an internal-combustion engine.
24. (in cricket) an inning.
Idioms: 1. knock it off, to cease doing or saying something.
2. knock one's socks off, Informal. to have an overwhelming effect on.
[before 1000; Middle English knokken, knoken (v.), Old English cnocian, cnucian; c. Middle High German knochen, Old Norse knoka to thump, knock]
knock′less, adj.
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.