/ nɒk; NAmE nɑːk/ verb , noun
■ verb
AT DOOR / WINDOW
1.
[ v ] knock (at / on sth) to hit a door, etc. firmly in order to attract attention
SYN rap :
He knocked three times and waited.
Somebody was knocking on the window.
HIT
2.
knock (sth) (against / on sth) to hit sth, often by accident, with a short, hard blow :
[ vn ]
Be careful you don't knock your head on this low beam.
[ v ]
Her hand knocked against the glass.
3.
to put sb/sth into a particular state by hitting them / it :
[ vn - adj ]
The blow knocked me flat.
He was knocked senseless by the blow.
[ vn -ing ]
She knocked my drink flying.
[ vn + adv. / prep. ]
The two rooms had been knocked into one (= the wall between them had been knocked down) .
➡ note at hit
4.
[ vn , usually + adv. / prep. ] to hit sth so that it moves or breaks :
He'd knocked over a glass of water.
I knocked the nail into the wall.
They had to knock the door down to get in.
The boys were knocking (= kicking) a ball around in the back yard.
( figurative )
The criticism had knocked (= damaged) her self-esteem.
➡ note at hit
5.
[ vn + adv. / prep. ] to make a hole in sth by hitting it hard :
They managed to knock a hole in the wall.
OF HEART / KNEES
6.
[ v ] if your heart knocks , it beats hard; if your knees knock , they shake, for example from fear :
My heart was knocking wildly.
OF ENGINE / PIPES
7.
[ v ] to make a regular sound of metal hitting metal, especially because there is sth wrong
CRITICIZE
8.
[ vn ] ( informal ) to criticize sb/sth, especially when it happens unfairly :
The newspapers are always knocking the England team.
'Plastics?' ' Don't knock it —there's a great future in plastics.'
•
IDIOMS
- I'll knock your block / head off!
- knock sb dead
- knock sb/sth into a cocked hat
- knock it off!
- knock sb off their pedestal / perch
- knock sth on the head
- knock on wood
- knock sb sideways
- knock spots off sb/sth
- knock the stuffing out of sb
- you could have knocked me down with a feather
—more at daylights , head noun , hell , sense noun , shape noun , six , sock noun
•
PHRASAL VERBS
- knock around ...
- knock around with sb / together
- knock sb/sth around
- knock sb back
- knock sb back sth
- knock sth back
- knock sb down (from sth) (to sth)
- knock sb down / over
- knock sth down
- knock sth down (from sth) (to sth)
- knock off | knock off sth
- knock sb off
- knock sth off
- knock sth off | knock sth off sth
- knock sb out
- knock sb / yourself out
- knock sb out (of sth)
- knock sth out
- knock sb over
- knock sth together
- knock up
- knock sb up
- knock sth up
■ noun
AT DOOR / WINDOW
1.
the sound of sb hitting a door, window, etc. with their hand or with sth hard to attract attention :
There was a knock on / at the door.
HIT
2.
a sharp blow from sth hard
SYN bang :
He got a nasty knock on the head.
•
IDIOMS
- take a (hard, nasty, etc.) knock
••
WORD ORIGIN
Old English cnocian , of imitative origin.