Knock (Verb)
Meaning 1
Deliver a sharp blow or push; "He knocked the glass clear across the room".
Classification
Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging.
Examples
- The tennis ball knocked over the vase on the table as it bounced by.
- He knocked the football clear across the field with his powerful kick.
- She knocked over the vase with her elbow as she rushed past it.
- He accidentally knocked the picture frame off the shelf.
- The strong waves knocked the boats against the dock.
Synonyms
Related Words
Meaning 2
Find fault with; express criticism of; point out real or perceived flaws; "The paper criticized the new movie"; "Don't knock the food--it's free".
Classification
Verbs of telling, asking, ordering, singing.
Examples
- Don't knock the food–it's free.
- She's always ready to knock the latest fashion trends.
- He tends to knock everyone's ideas before even considering them.
- I'm not trying to knock your choice of car, but isn't it a bit impractical for city driving?
- Critics have started to knock the government's handling of the situation.
Synonyms
Hypernyms
Hyponyms
Meaning 3
Rap with the knuckles; "knock on the door".
Classification
Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging.
Examples
- She knocked softly on the door with her knuckles before turning the handle.
- I'll knock on the door when I get to your place.
- Please knock before entering my office so as not to startle me.
- If you're going out, knock on the wall as a signal for me to open the gate.
- She knocked on the wooden door and then waited patiently for the answer.
Hypernyms
Related Words
Meaning 4
Knock against with force or violence; "My car bumped into the tree".
Classification
Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging.
Examples
- A strong gust of wind knocked the vase against the wall, shattering it.
- The cargo ship knocked into the dock, causing significant damage to both.
- The football player was knocked to the ground by the opposing team's tackle.
- One of the kids accidentally knocked their bike into a parked vehicle.
- A severe earthquake knocked the statue against the stairs, destroying it.
Synonyms
Hypernyms
Related Words
Meaning 5
Make light, repeated taps on a surface; "he was tapping his fingers on the table impatiently".
Classification
Verbs of seeing, hearing, feeling.
Examples
- She gently knock on the door before entering her sister's room.
- He started to knock on the glass to get the bartender's attention.
- After waiting for a few minutes, I knock on the pipe to check if it was hollow.
- The kids began to knock on the old, wooden tree trunk out of curiosity.
- The nervous student knock on the desk with her pen to calm her anxiety.
Synonyms
Hypernyms
Related Words
Meaning 6
Sound like a car engine that is firing too early; "the car pinged when I put in low-octane gasoline"; "The car pinked when the ignition was too far retarded".
Classification
Verbs of seeing, hearing, feeling.
Examples
- The engine started to knock and sputter when I drove uphill with a heavy load.
- The mechanic warned me that using low-octane fuel could cause the engine to knock or ping.
- If I timed the ignition too far advanced the car's engine would knock and lose power.
- When I over-revved the engine, it started to knock and rattle, so I shifted gears.
- After filling up with low-quality gasoline, the car's engine began to knock and vibrate while idling.