- 1[intransitive] to hit a door, etc. firmly in order to attract attention synonym rap He knocked three times and waited. knock at/on something Somebody was knocking on the window.
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hit - 2[transitive, intransitive] to hit something, often by accident, with a short, hard blow knock something (against/on something) Be careful you don't knock your head on this low beam. knock against/on something Her hand knocked against the glass.
- 3[transitive] to put someone or something into a particular state by hitting them/it knock somebody/something + adj. The blow knocked me flat. He was knocked unconscious by the blow. knock somebody/something doing something She knocked my drink flying. Thesaurushit
- knock
- bang
- strike
- bump
- bash
- hit to come against something with force, especially causing damage or injury:The boy was hit by a speeding car.
- knock to hit something so that it moves or breaks; to put someone or something into a particular state or position by hitting them/it:Someone had knocked a hole in the wall.
- bang to hit something in a way that makes a loud noise:The baby was banging the table with his spoon.
- strike (formal) to hit someone or something hard:The ship struck a rock.
- bump to hit someone or something accidentally:In the darkness I bumped into a chair.
- bash (informal) to hit against something very hard:I braked too late and bashed into the car in front of me.
- to knock/bang/bump/bash into somebody/something
- to knock/bang/bump/bash on something
- to hit/knock/bang/strike/bump/bash something with something
- to hit/strike the ground/floor/wall
- 4[transitive] to hit something so that it moves or breaks knock something + adv./prep. He'd knocked over a glass of water. I knocked the nail into the wall. They had to knock the door down to get in. knock something (figurative) The criticism had knocked (= damaged) her self-esteem. Thesaurushit
- knock
- bang
- strike
- bump
- bash
- hit to come against something with force, especially causing damage or injury:The boy was hit by a speeding car.
- knock to hit something so that it moves or breaks; to put someone or something into a particular state or position by hitting them/it:Someone had knocked a hole in the wall.
- bang to hit something in a way that makes a loud noise:The baby was banging the table with his spoon.
- strike (formal) to hit someone or something hard:The ship struck a rock.
- bump to hit someone or something accidentally:In the darkness I bumped into a chair.
- bash (informal) to hit against something very hard:I braked too late and bashed into the car in front of me.
- to knock/bang/bump/bash into somebody/something
- to knock/bang/bump/bash on something
- to hit/knock/bang/strike/bump/bash something with something
- to hit/strike the ground/floor/wall
- 5[transitive] knock something + adv./prep. to make a hole in something by hitting it hard They managed to knock a hole in the wall. of heart/knees
- 6[intransitive] if your heart knocks, it beats hard; if your knees knock, they shake, for example from fear My heart was knocking wildly. of engine/pipes
- 7[intransitive] to make a regular sound of metal hitting metal, especially because there is something wrong
- 8[transitive] knock somebody/something (informal) to criticize someone or something, especially when it happens unfairly The newspapers are always knocking the Raiders. “Plastics?” “Don't knock it—there's a great future in plastics.” Idioms
verb jump to other results
NAmE//nɑk//
Verb Forms present simple I / you / we / they knock he / she / it knocks
past simple knocked
-ing form knocking
to force people to stop arguing and behave in a sensible way
to hit someone very hard several times and hurt them very much Get out or I'll beat the living daylights out of you!
beat/kick (the) hell out of somebody/something, knock hell out of somebody/something (informal) jump to other results
to surprise or impress someone very much
to train someone so that they do a particular job, task, etc. well It took him just two weeks to whip the new recruits into shape.
to make something more acceptable, organized, or successful I've got all the information together but it still needs to be knocked into shape. It shouldn't take long to get the company back into shape.
used to threaten someone that you will hit them
to impress someone very much You look fabulous—you'll knock 'em dead tonight.
used to tell someone to stop making a noise, annoying you, etc. Knock it off, kids—I'm trying to work.
to make someone lose their position as someone or something successful or admired A lot of teams are looking to knock us off our perch.
used when you have just mentioned some way in which you have been lucky in the past, to avoid bringing bad luck
to try and persuade someone to stop behaving in a stupid way, sometimes using rough or violent methods Try and talk some sense into her before she makes the wrong decision. Where would I be without you to knock some sense into my head?
to make someone lose their confidence and enthusiasm
used to express surprise Phrasal Verbsknock aroundknock around with togetherknock aroundknock backknock downknock offknock outknock overknock togetherknock up
Check pronunciation: knock