transitive verb
1.
a.
(1) : to arrange or devise especially hurriedly or with little thought
decided to knock up a tennis match
: prepare quickly or without much care
knock up a meal for us — Irwin Shaw
(2) : to strike up casually
knocked up an acquaintance with a few people
b. : to knock together
two small wooden buildings, casually knocked up — Josephine Pinckney
c. : to practice informally with (as a tennis ball, shuttlecock) in warming up before a match (as in tennis, badminton, squash)
2. Britain : rouse , summon ; specifically : to cause (as by knocking at the door) to awaken or rise from sleep or rest
3.
a. : to make exhausted : knock out
hurried too fast and it knocked me up — G.M.Hopkins
b.
(1) : to put out of top condition : cause to deteriorate
too much food and idleness had knocked them up
(2) : to bring to an end : destroy
unfair competition had knocked up the once flourishing business
c. : wound , hurt
got pretty badly knocked up
if I'm killed over there — that isn't likely, I'm more of the damned sort that gets knocked up — Ellen Glasgow
4.
a. : to run up (as a score) : make , achieve
knocking up a good score
b. Britain : to receive as income or salary : earn , get
5. slang : to make pregnant
no girls get married around here till they're knocked up — Ernest Hemingway
6. : to make uneasy : disturb , bother
felt rather knocked up by the news
7.
a. Britain : to knock down (sense 5)
b. : jog 4
intransitive verb
1. : to become totally exhausted or otherwise unfit : break down
a few of the beasts had knocked up and had to be abandoned — I.L.Idriess
2. : to chance upon or meet up with something indicated — used with against
knocked up against formidable difficulties
happened to knock up against an old friend
3. : to practice informally (as by volleying) in warming up before a match (as in tennis, badminton, squash)