knockdown

1 of 3

adjective

knock·​down ˈnäk-ˌdau̇n 

1

: having such force as to strike down or overwhelm

a bewildering assortment of knockdown arguments

—J. W. Krutch

2

: that can easily be assembled or disassembled

a knockdown table

3

chiefly British : extremely low : reduced

knockdown prices

knockdown

2 of 3

noun

1

: the action of knocking down

2

: something (such as a blow) that strikes down or overwhelms

3

: something (such as a piece of furniture) that can be easily assembled or disassembled

knock down

3 of 3

verb

ˈnäk-ˈdau̇n 

knocked down; knocking down; knocks down

transitive verb

1

: to strike to the ground with or as if with a sharp blow : fell

2

: to dispose of (an item) to a bidder at an auction sale

3

: to take apart : disassemble

4

: to receive as income or salary : earn

positions where they were able to knock down good money

—Infantry Journal

5

: reduce

knocked the price down

6

basketball, informal : to succeed in making (a jump shot or foul shot)

She scored 10 points on the night with three assists. She also knocked down three out of four free-throw attempts.

—Niki Herbert

Pierce faked right, drove left, turned and knocked down a fadeaway jumper.

—Jason Mastrodonato

Synonyms

Verb

• acquire
• attain
• bag
• bring in
• capture
• carry
• come by
• draw
• earn
• gain
• garner
• get
• land
• make
• obtain
• procure
• pull down
• realize
• reap
• secure
• win

Examples of knockdown in a Sentence

Adjective

Now's your chance to buy these items at knockdown prices!

Verb

she's knocking down a good salary, but she has to work very hard

right after the holidays the stores start to knock down the window displays

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

The Suns need another knockdown shooter and could use a versatile four. —Duane Rankin, The Arizona Republic, 8 Feb. 2023

That competitive mariachi exists is a knockdown effect of this. —Los Angeles Times, 26 Jan. 2023

Noun

The Friday night fight pitting the 27-year-old Paul against someone more than twice his age finished without any knockdowns and a loss by unanimous decision for the 58-year-old Tyson. —Kate Gibson, CBS News, 19 Nov. 2024

He’s earned four knockdowns in that span and is capable of hurting any man in this division. —Brett Appley, The Athletic, 16 Aug. 2024

Verb

With just over two minutes left in the fourth quarter of Wednesday’s game against the Cleveland Cavaliers, Bronny dribbled toward the baseline, then backed out, steadied himself, and knocked down a smooth jumpshot. —Ken Makin, The Christian Science Monitor, 31 Oct. 2024

Firefighters with the Los Angeles County Fire Department were sent to the home in the 6000 block of Sultana Avenue at around 4:50 p.m. and were able to knock down the fire in 30 minutes. —Camilla Rambaldi, NBC News, 28 Oct. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

Adjective

1690, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

1809, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

knock down

verb

1

: to strike to the ground with or as if with a sharp blow

2

: to sell to the highest bidder at an auction

3

: to take apart