📒 to hit a door, etc. in order to attract attention
- He knocked three times and waited.
- knock at/on something I knocked on the door and went straight in.
- Somebody was knocking on the window.
📒 to hit something hard, often by accident
- 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.
- knock something She dropped the pile of books when he accidentally knocked her shoulder.
📒 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.
📒 to put somebody/something into a particular state by hitting them/it
- knock somebody/something + adj. The blow knocked me flat.
- He was knocked senseless by the blow.
- knock somebody/something doing something She knocked my drink flying.
📒 to make a hole in something by hitting it hard
- They managed to knock a hole in the wall.
📒 if your heart knocks, it beats hard; if your knees knock, they shake, for example from fear
- My heart was knocking wildly.
📒 to make a regular sound of metal hitting metal, especially because there is something wrong
📒 to criticize somebody/something, especially when it happens unfairly
- The newspapers are always knocking the England team.
- It may sound pretty childish, but don't knock it until you've tried it.
📒 to force people to stop arguing and behave in a sensible way
📒 to hit somebody very hard several times and hurt them very much
- Get out or I’ll beat the living daylights out of you!
📒 to hit somebody/something very hard
- He was a dirty player and loved to kick hell out of the opposition.
📒 to surprise or impress somebody very much
📒 to train somebody so that they do a particular job, task, etc. well
- It took him just two weeks to knock the new recruits into shape.
📒 to make something more acceptable, organized or successful
- I've got all the information together but it still needs knocking into shape.
- It shouldn’t take long to get the company back into shape.
📒 to affect somebody very deeply
- The business over the lawsuit had really knocked her for six.
📒 used to threaten somebody that you will hit them
📒 to impress somebody very much
- You look fabulous—you'll knock ’em dead tonight.
📒 to be very much better than somebody/something
- She knocks the rest of the cast into a cocked hat.
📒 used to tell somebody to stop making a noise, annoying you, etc.
- Knock it off, kids—I’m trying to work.
📒 to make somebody lose their position as somebody/something successful or admired
- A lot of teams are looking to knock us off our perch.
📒 to stop something from happening; to stop doing something
- The recession knocked on the head any idea of expanding the company.
- By eleven o’clock we were all tired so we knocked it on the head.
📒 used when talking about your previous good luck or your hopes for the future, to avoid bringing bad luck
- I've been driving for over 20 years and never had an accident—knock on wood!
📒 to surprise or shock somebody so much that they are unable to react immediately
📒 to try and persuade somebody 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 be very much better than somebody/something
- She knocks spots off all the other candidates.
📒 to make somebody lose their confidence and enthusiasm
📒 used to express surprise