- the sound of somebody hitting a door, window, etc. with their hand or with something hard to attract attention
- knock on/at something There was a knock at the door.
- I was startled by a loud knock on the car window.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- loud
- sharp
- gentle
- …
- hear
- answer
- a knock at the door
- a knock on the door
- a sharp hit from something hard synonym bang
- He got a nasty knock on the head.
- Knocks and scratches will lower the value of valuable furniture.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- hard
- nasty
- minor
- …
- get
- have
- take
- …
- knock on
- a bad experience that makes somebody/something less confident or successful
- Her confidence took a further knock when she lost her job.
- The company has suffered two huge knocks of late.
Extra ExamplesTopics Difficulty and failurec2- Industry in the area has taken a knock with the closure of two factories.
- Their pride took quite a knock when they lost 5–0.
at door/window
hit
bad experience
Word OriginOld English cnocian, of imitative origin.
Check pronunciation:
knock