1
as in to bump
to come into usually forceful contact with something
my knee knocked against the table leg when I tried to get up quickly
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to hit
to deliver a blow to (someone or something) usually in a strong vigorous manner
threatened to knock him upside the head if he didn't do as he was told
Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in to blame
to express one's unfavorable opinion of the worth or quality of
hey, don't knock it until you've tried it
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in blow
a hard strike with a part of the body or an instrument
gave the door a good knock
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2
as in misfortune
bad luck or an example of this
getting his college degree was a six year adventure not without its share of knocks along the way
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in setback
a change in status for the worse usually temporarily
the geneticist's reputation took a knock when several of his peers were unable to confirm his research findings
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of knock
Jen McCaffrey, The Athletic, 17 Feb. 2025
Robby not only loses to Axel from the Iron Dragons, but Axel breaks Robby’s knee on Wolf’s instruction, knocking Robby out of the match and tournament altogether.
—Skyler Trepel, People.com, 15 Feb. 2025
Michael Kaplan, CBS News, 31 Jan. 2025
The tabloid details of the split—Bündchen and her new martial-artist paramour knock dreamboat quarterback down a few pegs and ruin his rep—provided too much material to the sharklike comics trawling for chum.
—Vinson Cunningham, The New Yorker, 25 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for knock
Verb
The Red Sox wanted flexibility with top infield prospects Kristian Campbell and Marcelo Mayer, two top 30 prospects in baseball, knocking on the door.
—Jen McCaffrey, The Athletic, 17 Feb. 2025
Robby not only loses to Axel from the Iron Dragons, but Axel breaks Robby’s knee on Wolf’s instruction, knocking Robby out of the match and tournament altogether.
—Skyler Trepel, People.com, 15 Feb. 2025
Noun
The next morning, those fears were confirmed with a knock on the door from two Army soldiers.
—Michael Kaplan, CBS News, 31 Jan. 2025
The tabloid details of the split—Bündchen and her new martial-artist paramour knock dreamboat quarterback down a few pegs and ruin his rep—provided too much material to the sharklike comics trawling for chum.
—Vinson Cunningham, The New Yorker, 25 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for knock
Recent Examples of Synonyms for knock
Verb
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This, plus the fact that good starting left tackles are difficult to find, bumps Stanley’s rank here in a thin free-agency class. Stats Sacks allowed 3 Penalties 12 Press.—
Vic Tafur,
The Athletic,
24 Feb. 2025
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In theaters now Showtimes Suits LA Suits experienced the Netflix bump two years ago, so naturally, a spinoff was ordered.—
Savannah Salazar,
Vulture,
22 Feb. 2025
Verb
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Solo Ball, the only UConn player to make a 3-pointer until McNeeley hit one with five minutes to go, finished with 13 points and a team-best six assists.—
Joe Arruda,
Hartford Courant,
19 Feb. 2025
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In the video, O'Leary wailed after the metal object hit him in the chest.—
Taylor Ardrey,
USA TODAY,
19 Feb. 2025
Verb
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Organizers blamed the threat on Tarrio, who denied the claim in a post on his social media.—
Bill Barrow,
Chicago Tribune,
24 Feb. 2025
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Ehrlich can hardly be blamed for the most coercive incarnations of population control.—
Gideon Lewis-Kraus,
The New Yorker,
24 Feb. 2025
Noun
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Spanish soccer giant Real Madrid announced a huge KO injury blow which Cope - citing anonymous sources - expects to sideline the first team starting player in question for around two months.—
Tom Sanderson,
Forbes,
27 Feb. 2025
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Things would inevitably come to blows between them and Deadpool's healing factor would frustrate Matt to no end.—
David Faris,
Newsweek,
26 Feb. 2025
Noun
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The cerebral Sridhar Ramaswamy, had the misfortune to follow in the huge CEO footsteps of the Bill Belichick-like Slootman.—
Jim Cramer,
CNBC,
18 Feb. 2025
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Cheick Doucoure would ordinarily have seemed the ideal partner for Wharton but has suffered terrible misfortune with injuries, and is now out until at least the end of the season with a meniscus injury.—
Matt Woosnam,
The Athletic,
17 Feb. 2025
Noun
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No Escape From Now, will be a feature length documentary revolving around the health setbacks Osbourne has faced since 2019, including his recent Parkinson’s diagnosis.—
Quentin Thane Singer,
Forbes,
26 Feb. 2025
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Share your own struggles and the lessons learned from your setbacks.—
Dr. Sheryl Ziegler, Contributor,
CNBC,
26 Feb. 2025
Verb
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Kindt was arrested on a domestic assault charge after he was accused of banging Hagen’s head on a night stand and pushing her against several pieces of furniture.—
Mike Stunson,
Kansas City Star,
10 Feb. 2025
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Several times during our interview, one of us had to speak up to be heard over the clanging of this or banging of that.—
Eric Berger,
Ars Technica,
27 Jan. 2025
Verb
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On the red carpet of the American Black Film Festival Honors in Los Angeles on Feb. 17, the 75-year-old actress told PEOPLE about filming the moment in which her character, Patti, slapped her daughter Angela (Taraji P. Henson) across the face during a heated confrontation on season 2 of Eli Stone.—
Stephanie Wenger,
People.com,
18 Feb. 2025
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Just ask comedian Chris Rock, who was unceremoniously slapped by Will Smith during the 2022 Oscars after cracking a joke about the actor's wife, Jada Pinkett Smith.—
Patrick Ryan,
USA TODAY,
16 Feb. 2025
Articles Related to knock
Cite this Entry
“Knock.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/knock. Accessed 4 Mar. 2025.
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