See Also: Knock for knock agreement(finance)
knock-on(dictionary)
knock(dictionary)
knock-on(dictionary)
knock-down(dictionary)
knock(2)(dictionary)
knock(1)(dictionary)
knock-up(dictionary)
knock(medicine)
knock-knee(medicine)

knock (iou)



knock verb.
[Old English cnocian = Middle High German knochen, Old Norse knoka, of imit. origin.]
verb intrans. Strike a hard surface with an audible sharp blow; spec. strike esp. a door to call attention or gain admittance (foll. by at, on). Formerly also, deliver a blow or blows. OE.
Shakespeare Taming of Shrew What's he that knocks as he would beat down the gate? M. Baldwin If you knocked at every house You wouldn't find a man who could recognise a louse. D. Adams He knocked on the inner door. fig.: P. Roth How tempted I would have been to yield, if opportunity had only knocked.
b. verb trans. (with it or cognate obj.) give (a knock); convey by knocking. E17.
J. H. Newman A visitant Is knocking his dire summons at my door.
verb trans. Give a hard blow or blows to; hit, strike, beat, hammer; make (a hole etc.) by beating or hammering. OE.
Conan Doyle He knocked a hole..in the lath and plaster ceiling. K. Hulme She leans back..and knocks the edge of the portrait. B. Zephaniah I used to knock a drum and make a sound. M. Moorcock She knocked the lever at the back of the chimney.
b. Copulate with (a woman); father (a child) on a woman (foll. by out of). slang. L16.
c. Rob (esp. a safe or till). slang. M18.
d. Make a strong (esp. favourable) impression on. slang. L19.
W. Soyinka I want to launch it on this tour. Man, it will knock them.
e. Speak ill or slightingly of, criticize, disparage, find fault with. colloq. L19.
V. Seth Don't knock what you haven't tried. Daily Mirror Until we..actually win something..we will never stop people knocking us.
verb trans. Drive or bring (a thing) violently against or against something else. ME.
Shakespeare Henry V I'll knock his leek about his pate.
verb intrans.
a. Come into violent collision with something; colloq. move energetically, clumsily, noisily, or randomly about, along, around, etc. M16.
G. Allen Knocking up and down all over the country.
b. Of a mechanism etc.: make a rattling or thumping noise, esp. as a result of parts being loose and striking each other. Also spec., (of an internal-combustion engine), suffer from knock caused by faulty combustion, (of fuel) give rise to knock in an engine. M19.
P. G. Wodehouse The engine was not humming so smoothly. It had begun to knock.
verb trans. Drive or force away, into, off, out, etc., by means of a blow or blows or by striking. E17.
Defoe I knocked pieces into the wall of the rock. J. T. Story Suddenly somebody bounced into me, nearly knocking me flying. P. Campbell I knocked an ashtray off the windowsill. B. Pym People surged forward, nearly knocking them over. R. Ingalls She's knocked the wind out of you. J. Mortimer She had knocked her kitchen and living room together. Grimsby Evening Telegraph Watson..knocked the ball past two defenders on the line.
Phrases: knock all of a heap: see HEAP noun. knock cold: see COLD adjective. knock for six: see SIX noun 4. knock hell out of: see HELL noun. knock into a cocked hat: see cocked hat s.v. COCK verb1. knock into the middle of next week colloq. send (a person) flying, esp. with a blow. knock off one's perch: see PERCH noun2. knock one's block off: see BLOCK noun 6b. knock one's head against fig. come into collision with (unpleasant facts or conditions) (knock one's head against a brick wall: see WALL noun1). knock on the head (a) stun or kill by a blow on the head; (b) colloq. put an end to (a scheme etc.). knock on wood, knock wood fig. (N. Amer.) touch wood. knock PRISCIAN's head. knock rotten: see ROTTEN adverb. knock the socks off: see SOCK noun1. knock the STUFFING out of. knock the tar out of: see TAR noun1 1. knock sideways colloq. disconcert; astonish. knock silly: see SILLY adjective 6. knock spots off colloq. defeat easily. knock the bottom out of fig. make invalid or useless, prove to be worthless. knock the hindsight(s) off, knock the hindsight(s) out of: see HINDSIGHT 2. knock the shit out of: see SHIT noun. knock wood: see knock on wood above. you could have knocked me down with a feather: see FEATHER noun.
With adverbs in specialized senses: knock about, knock around (a) strike repeatedly; treat roughly; (b) colloq. wander or roam aimlessly; lead a wandering adventurous life; (c) lie around, be available or in the vicinity; (d) be a habitual companion of, be associated with socially; (e) strike (a ball or balls) casually or half-heartedly; (see also sense 4 above). knock back (a) colloq. eat or esp. drink (esp. alcohol) quickly or in large quantities; (b) Austral. & NZ colloq. refuse, rebuff; (c) reverse the progress of, check; fig. (colloq.) disconcert; (d) work (risen bread dough) by vigorous kneading and throwing down, to expel air before baking. knock down (a) hit and knock to the ground; spec. (in pass.) be hit and knocked to the ground by a vehicle; demolish; (b) dispose of (an article) to or to a bidder at an auction by a knock with a hammer; (c) colloq. lower the price of; lower (a price); (d) arch. colloq. call upon for an action etc.; (e) take (machinery, furniture, etc.) to pieces for transportation; (f) Austral. & NZ slang spend (a pay cheque etc.) freely; (g) US slang steal (esp. passengers' fares); (h) US cause (a ship) to list heavily beyond recovery (usu. in pass.); (i) N. Amer. earn, get paid. knock off (a) finish or stop work; (b) finish or stop (work etc.); (knock it off! leave off! stop it!); (c) colloq. dispatch or dispose of (business); complete or do hastily; spec. produce (a literary work, painting, etc.) in a hurried and perfunctory fashion; (d) deduct from or from an amount or sum; (e) Cricket score (runs) to ensure victory; (f) slang steal, rob; (g) slang kill; (h) slang arrest (a person); (i) slang copulate with, seduce, (a woman); (see also sense 5 above). knock on Rugby Football drive or knock (a ball) with the hand or arm in the direction of the opponent's goal-line (in contravention of the rules); knock out (a) stun with a blow, knock unconscious; (b) spec. knock down (a boxing opponent) for a count of 10, so disqualifying him or her; (c) defeat, esp. in a competition involving various stages; (d) colloq. make roughly or hastily; (e) US, Austral., & NZ slang earn; (f) get rid of; destroy; (g) colloq. exhaust (oneself) through effort; (h) slang please greatly, astonish (freq. in pass.); (i) empty (a tobacco-pipe) by tapping; (see also sense 5 above). knock over slang rob, burgle. knock together put together or assemble hastily or roughly. knock under give in, submit. knock up (a) drive upwards with a blow; Bookbinding & Printing even the edges of (a pile of loose sheets) by striking them against a hard surface; (b) make, put together, or arrange hastily; (c) gain, earn, accumulate; spec. (Cricket) score (runs) rapidly; (d) waken, rouse, by knocking at the door; (e) exhaust or make ill (usu. in pass.); (f) become exhausted or ill; (g) slang (orig. US) make (a woman) pregnant; (h) play tennis, squash, etc., for practice, esp. before a match.
Comb.: knock-back (chiefly Austral. & NZ colloq.) a refusal, a rebuff; knock-kneed adjective having knock-knees; knock-knees an abnormal condition in which the legs curve inwards at the knee so as to touch when the feet are apart; knock-me-down adjective (fig.) overbearing; violent; knock-off (a) slang a robbery; a stolen object, collect. stolen objects; (b) slang a copy or reproduction of a design etc., esp. one made illegally; (c) colloq. the time when one's work finishes for the day; knock-stone a stone or cast-iron plate on which ore is broken; knock-up noun & adjective (designating) a practice game in tennis, squash, etc., esp. before a match.