From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishknockknock1 /nɒk $ nɑːk/ ●●● S1 W3 verb 1 door [intransitive]HIT to hit a door or window with your closed hand to attract the attention of the people inside I knocked and knocked but nobody answered.knock at/on We knocked at the door but there was no one there. Wilson went up and knocked on the door.► see thesaurus at hit2 hit and move something [transitive always + adverb/preposition]HIT/BUMP INTO to hit something with a short quick action so that it moves or fallsknock something out of/from something As I got up, I knocked a pencil out of its holder. He knocked the knife from my hand.knock something over At that moment, Sally knocked over her glass of wine.knock something aside She tried to knock the gun aside but she was not fast enough.3 hit somebody hard [transitive always + adverb/preposition] to hit someone very hard He knocked her to the ground and kicked her.knock somebody unconscious/cold/senseless (=hit someone so hard that they fall unconscious) Simon could knock a man unconscious with one punch to the jaw. Garry answered the door only to be knocked flying as two policemen came rushing in.4 hit part of your body [transitive] to hit something with part of your bodyknock something against something Morse knocked his shin against a suitcase that had been left just inside the door.knock something on something She knocked her head on a stone.5 → knock on doors6 → be knocking on the door7 remove wall [transitive] to remove a wall or part of a building in order to make a bigger room or spaceknock something into something We could make a bigger living space by knocking two rooms into one.knock something through The wall between the kitchen and the dining room has been partially knocked through. 8 → knock a hole in/through something9 criticize [transitive]CRITICIZE to criticize someone or their work, especially in an unfair or annoying way The British press always knock British winners at any sport. ‘Designer fashion is silly.’ ‘Don’t knock it; it’s an important industry.’► see thesaurus at criticize10 ball [transitive always + adverb/preposition]KICKHIT to kick or hit a ball somewhere The aim is to knock the ball into the opposing goal.11 → knock somebody for six12 → knock the stuffing out of somebody13 → knock somebody sideways14 → knock some sense into somebody/into somebody’s head15 → knock (somebody’s) heads together16 → knock something on the head17 → knock somebody’s socks off18 → knock somebody off their pedestal/perch19 → knock spots off somebody/something20 → knock on wood21 → knock it off22 make a noise [intransitive]SOUND if an engine or pipes etc are knocking, they make a noise like something hard being hit, usually because something is wrong with them23 heart [intransitive] if your heart is knocking, it is beating hard, especially because you are afraid SYN pound24 → I’ll knock your head/block off25 → knock the bottom out of something → knock/beat somebody/something into a cocked hat at cocked hat(1), → knock somebody into shape at shape1(3), → knees knocking (together) at knee1(4) → knock around → knock somebody/something back → knock somebody/something down → knock something into somebody → knock off → knock out → knock somebody/something ↔ over → knock something ↔ together → knock somebody/something ↔ up→ See Verb table
Examples from the Corpus
knock• Cheap gasoline will make your engine knock.• I waited a moment, then knocked again.• The heavy video camera knocked against his hip as he walked.• Lula knocked at the back door and he appeared, dressed in pyjamas.• After I had rung several more times and knocked at the door, I heard hesitant footsteps.• Would you mind knocking before you come in?• You should knock before you come in.• Yet no one who knew the man disputes that Robey might well have knocked down the self-proclaimed king of rock & roll.• Some movie reviewers seem to knock every picture they see.• It's hard to knock Gordon because he always works so hard.• It was a pity perhaps that the car had not knocked her down.• I looked around and I hit her such a bloody fourpenny one that I knocked her flying.• Critics knocked his latest film for its portrayal of women.• She turned and ran, knocking into bystanders as she went.• Hey, don't knock it! It's the only suit I've got!• She knocked me with her elbow as she passed.• 'Mattie?' called Jerry, knocking on the door.• Even knock out a mouthful of teeth?• But former boxing world champion Barry McGuigan was knocked out of the event with a blown engine on his Vauxhall Nova.• And he pushed Philip, knocking the polythene bag of grain out of his hand.• One of the movers knocked the sofa against a doorway.knock at/on• I knocked at Florence's door.• Suddenly I heard a violent and repeated knocking at my window.• While Greg waited on the landing she knocked on one of the bedroom doors.• I think somebody's knocking at the door.• I walked into the house, and just as I put down my bags, there was a knock at the door.• I knocked at the first house, wanting to ask if I could sleep in the courtyard.• I was waiting for him to knock on the front door, I guess, and just say, Here I am.• He went to her house and knocked on the green door.• A knock on the slightly open door woke him only minutes later.knock something out of/from something• It was like a bolt of lightning knocked me out of bed and threw me to the floor.• It had knocked the breath out of him when it hit.• There were times he ran the ball, we should have knocked the hell out of him.• Then I came across a line in my property law textbook that nearly knocked me out of my seat.• The shooting has already knocked him out of the playoffs. knocked flying• Six-year-old Garry answered it, only to be knocked flying as two policemen came crashing in.knockknock2 ●●○ noun 1 [countable]SOUND the sound of something hard hitting a hard surface a loud knock at the door a knock in the engine2 [countable]HIT the action of something hard hitting your body He got a knock on the head when he fell.3 → take a knockExamples from the Corpus
knock• I had just turned out the lights when I heard a knock at the door.• And this man ensconced in his warm living room with a fireplace hears a knock at the door.• There's a knock on the door.• There was a knock at the door.• If that happened, however, confidence would take another knock.• We were woken by a frantic knocking at the door.• Tatica will have to pound hard with strength she does not have so her knock will be heard.• Within the legal container of marriage, the idealization and illusion so characteristic or the in-love state can take a nasty knock.• The only knock against Whitney is his defensive playing.From Longman Business Dictionaryknockknock1 /nɒknɑːk/ verb [transitive]1FINANCE if something knocks the price of shares, stocks etc, the price changes very quickly and unexpectedlyTalk of easing the US credit policy knocked prices higher in light trade.Its shares were knocked by the Kuwait Investment’s Office’s decision to sell 10% of its stake.2knock on/at the door to make it clear that you want to join something or want help from someoneA number of countries are knocking at the European Union’s door. → knock something → down → knock something off (something) → knock something → out→ See Verb tableknockknock2 noun [countable] something which suddenly makes a product fail or makes prices fallThe US is likely totake a series of knocks from discounting in the car market.a 612-point knock to the FTSE-indexOrigin knock1 Old English cnocian 